Published May 30, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Brady is a technology journalist for MakeUseOf with years of experience covering all things mobile, computing, and general tech. He has a focus on Android phones and audio gear, and holds a B.S. in Journalism from St. John's University. Brady has written for publications like Android Central, Android Authority, XDA, Android Police, iMore, and others. He has experience reporting on major events held by Google, Apple, and Samsung, as well as trade shows like Lenovo Innovation World and IFA.  When he's not writing about and testing the latest gadgets, you'll find Brady watching Big East basketball and running.  Android phones are filled with Google services that can be used to serve you ads and collect data. The Google Play Store, Google Play Services, and underlying Google APIs are all bundled with popular Android OS versions. If you want to avoid these Google services entirely, you need to take extreme measures, like installing a custom Android ROM.…