If you hate writing, or feel that writing in general is a struggle, you're probably happy with the recent wave of AI writing tools. But if you want to do real writing without the help of a machine, Android 16 may be able to help.

According to Mishaal Rahman, who examined the Developer Preview 2 of Android 16, the EditorInfo class associated with Android's AI writing tools now includes isWritingToolsEnabled() and setWritingToolsEnabled(), which seem to be two new functions. For those who don't know, the EditorInfo class is the link between the keyboard and the application, allowing both to share information about what is being written in a text field.

isWritingToolsEnabled() is a check made by Android to see if the AI writing tools are turned on for a particular app or text editor, although AI tools are on by default, setWritingTooldEnabled() allows apps to opt out of the same AI writing tool, keeping control of written content in your and the app's own hands in the process.

As Rahman points out, most apps have no reason to opt out of AI writing tools “in most text fields. However, some may want to prevent AI from changing text under certain circumstances; Rahman speculates that this could include email address, password, and phone number fields.

Gboard already does this, but this tool could be Google's way of trying to make it more thorough across third-party keyboards. Or at least allow developers to do it.

This tool could also be used in cases where apps don't want AI interference; if there are camera apps that market themselves as AI-free, I'd wager that a word processor or memo app would do the same. Alternatively, specific settings could be made within existing apps to accommodate those who do not need or want AI writing assistance.

We will have to wait and see what Android 16 will bring when it launches next year and how developers will take advantage of this special feature.