High School Developer Brings Apple-like AI Writing Assistant to Windows

Your Windows PC can now deliver instant free writing help across all apps

Key Takeaways Windows' new "Writing Tools" app is an AI writing assistant powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash model. The app works across all apps, offers translation, generates summaries, and is free with a user-friendly interface. A major caveat is needing an internet connection to use the app, but a local model integration may be included in the future. Windows PCs have some cool AI tools that make life a lot easier, though many believe that Microsoft's Copilot isn't one of those great AI features available in the operating system. Regardless of your opinion about Copilot on Windows, tons of third-party impressive AI applications offer features you won't find on your PC's built-in AI app. If you know about those, it might be worth getting familiar with another third-party AI tool that offers writing help across all apps without requiring a subscription. Windows' new "Writing Tools" app has pretty much everything that you need from an AI writing assistant It's in the name. The Writing Tools app is designed to help you write and is powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash model. While AI writing assistance is its core offering, what makes the app stand out from the rest is the fact that the app works across all apps. Microsoft's Edge browser and the company's other writing apps are well-equipped with AI capabilities to help you write confidently. But what if you prefer a Word or Notepad alternative that doesn't have such AI tools to fix grammar and change the tone of your paragraph? This is where the Writing Tools app comes in handy. However, the Writing Tools app can do a lot more than fix your grammar mistakes and change the tone. It also supports translation, generates summaries, creates tables and key points, allows you to set your own hot keys for quick access, offers a bloat-free experience, and features a user-friendly interface. Again, you don't have to pay a single penny for any of that. Not everything is great with the app The Writing Tools app does everything it's designed to do. However, one major caveat here is that you'll need to connect to the internet to use the app. Luckily for Windows users, this limitation might not exist in the future, as, while commenting on a Reddit thread, app developer theJayTea said that local model integration is something they want to include in the future. You can download the Writing Tools app on your PC from GitHub. Related 10 ways you can use AI to improve your productivity From help managing your schedule, to writing emails, AI can make you a lot more productive

This High Schooler's App Brings Apple Intelligence-like Writing Tools to Windows 11

Under the hood, the tool uses Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash model to process the text within seconds. Apple unveiled its AI-powered Writing Tools at WWDC 2024, as part of Apple Intelligence, to enhance your writing on iOS and macOS. While Windows has a refreshed Copilot app and it can also proofread your writing and do a lot more, it's not deeply integrated into the OS. You have to copy and paste the text which is a hassle, to be frank. Thankfully, Jesai Tarun, a high schooler from Bangalore, India has developed a Windows app that brings Apple's Writing Tools to Windows 11 and 10. Under the hood, it uses Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash model so the response speed is very fast. Of course, you need to add your own Gemini API key, but once you set it up, the tool works like a charm. What I love the most is the ability to trigger Writing Tools on Windows 11. You simply need to press "Ctrl + Space" (it's customizable) to bring up Writing Tools. You can now proofread, rewrite, and enhance your writing with a single click. And it works on any window which is impressive. These are the pre-defined options you get on Writing Tools: Basically, with Writing Tools on Windows 11, you can proofread and rewrite the text; make it friendly, professional, or concise; generate a summary, or convert the text to key points or a table. Best of all, you can enter your custom prompt to transform the text in whichever way you want. I tested Writing Tools on Windows 11 on several apps including Notepad, Chrome, Microsoft Word, and WhatsApp. And it worked without any issues. This is the kind of AI feature Microsoft needs to integrate into Windows to make the experience productive. Microsoft did tease a similar functionality last year with Copilot, but it never shipped. You could right-click on the Copilot icon in the Taskbar and rewrite the text in any window. Similarly, Notepad still lacks Copilot integration, even after the 24H2 update. Coming back to Writing Tools, while the app is pretty good, the developer should improve the security of the API key. I noticed that the API key is saved in a Config JSON file, unencrypted. It should have an additional layer of security to protect the API key. Nevertheless, if you are interested in using Writing Tools on Windows 11, here are the steps to follow. So this is how you can enhance your writing on Windows 11 using Writing Tools. This removes the need to rely on Grammarly or other paid tools. Anyway, that is all from us. If you are facing any issues, let us know in the comments below.