Marques Brownlee says ‘I hear you’ after fans criticize his new wallpaper app

Marques Brownlee, the YouTuber known arsenic MKBHD, has responded to backlash implicit the motorboat of his caller wallpaper app, called Panels. In a station connected Tuesday, Brownlee says he’s going to code users’ concerns astir pricing and “excessive information disclosures.”

Brownlee revealed the caller app arsenic portion of his iPhone 16 review connected Monday — a video that’s usually among his biggest of the year. But a flood of disapproval astir the Panels app rapidly overshadowed comments astir the caller iPhone. “Part of gathering successful nationalist is getting wide feedback immediately, which is beauteous dope. Almost precisely similar publishing a YouTube video,” Brownlee said.

Panels is meant to connection entree to a curated enactment of “stunning afloat solution wallpapers” from integer artists — but fans aren’t blessed astir the subscription that comes on with it. It costs $49.99 per twelvemonth (or $11.99 per month) for a Panels Plus subscription, which lets you download each the wallpapers successful the app successful precocious resolution. You tin inactive entree a much constricted enactment of wallpapers for free, but you tin lone download them successful modular explanation and person to ticker 2 ads first.

“As acold arsenic pricing, I perceive you! It’s our ain idiosyncratic situation to enactment to present that benignant of worth for the premium version,” Brownlee said connected X. “I’ll besides beryllium dialing backmost advertisement frequence for the escaped experience.”

Users connected the iOS mentation of Panels besides pointed retired immoderate privateness concerns, arsenic the app asks to way your activity crossed different websites and apps and besides appears to use determination data. Brownlee says these information disclosures are “likely excessively broad” and that “we’d ne'er really actually inquire for your location, net history, etc.” He says the Panels squad is moving to hole the issue. The Verge reached retired to Brownlee with a petition for remark but didn’t instantly perceive back.

Brownlee has progressively been dabbling successful gathering his ain products, aft a decennary positive arsenic a reviewer. He joined the accessories shaper Ridge arsenic main originative spouse and worked connected a sneaker collaboration with Atoms. Brownlee says this caller wallpaper app is built “from scratch,” and volition divided profits with the integer artists featured successful the app 50/50. The app is “starting disconnected arsenic a wallpaper app now,” Brownlee says, but helium promises it volition “be beauteous consistently improving implicit time.”