diff --git a/api/current.txt b/api/current.txt
index c910bd02cf40f..b1b0ae6b380d6 100644
--- a/api/current.txt
+++ b/api/current.txt
@@ -28452,6 +28452,7 @@ package android.widget {
     method public void addRule(int, int);
     method public java.lang.String debug(java.lang.String);
     method public int[] getRules();
+    method public void removeRule(int);
     field public boolean alignWithParent;
   }
 
diff --git a/core/java/android/widget/RelativeLayout.java b/core/java/android/widget/RelativeLayout.java
index a811cc2eb14b4..43519dfaa51b0 100644
--- a/core/java/android/widget/RelativeLayout.java
+++ b/core/java/android/widget/RelativeLayout.java
@@ -1306,6 +1306,21 @@ public class RelativeLayout extends ViewGroup {
             mRulesChanged = true;
         }
 
+        /**
+         * Removes a layout rule to be interpreted by the RelativeLayout.
+         *
+         * @param verb One of the verbs defined by
+         *        {@link android.widget.RelativeLayout RelativeLayout}, such as
+         *         ALIGN_WITH_PARENT_LEFT.
+         * @see #addRule(int)
+         * @see #addRule(int, int)
+         */
+        public void removeRule(int verb) {
+            mRules[verb] = 0;
+            mInitialRules[verb] = 0;
+            mRulesChanged = true;
+        }
+
         private boolean hasRelativeRules() {
             return (mInitialRules[START_OF] != 0 || mInitialRules[END_OF] != 0 ||
                     mInitialRules[ALIGN_START] != 0 || mInitialRules[ALIGN_END] != 0 ||