Marques Brownlee says ‘we failed on the price’ with Panels

Marques Brownlee published a video connected Friday addressing the criticisms astir Panels, his caller wallpaper app, saying that helium and the squad “failed connected the terms front” astatine launch. The app received an outpour of criticisms from fans, some connected the MKBHD YouTube transmission and crossed societal platforms. Discussing the app, Brownlee admitted it needed work. “If I was reviewing this app, I would not person been precise nice,” helium said.

One of the superior criticisms of the app was that the premium “Panels Plus” subscription outgo $11.99 per period oregon $49.99 per twelvemonth to region ads and person afloat entree to the disposable collections of wallpapers. To marque things better, Brownlee and the squad person been improving the escaped experience by getting escaped of in-feed ads, making each wallpapers that aren’t portion of a postulation disposable successful 1080p for escaped with nary ads, and letting radical get a full-resolution wallpaper by watching 1 30-second ad.

As for the subscription’s price, “even though subscriptions are incredibly unpopular, we wanted to astatine slightest connection 1 that made consciousness for the wallpaper powerfulness user... for however fewer of you really exist,” Brownlee says. There’s present a new, much affordable Panels Plus “Standard” tier that costs $1.99 per period with nary ads connected idiosyncratic wallpapers. The higher “Unlimited” tier, which is inactive astatine that $11.99 per period / $49.99 per twelvemonth price, adds afloat entree to collections and aboriginal entree to caller wallpapers.

Brownlee besides touches connected concerns astir what the app was tracking based connected the agelong database that had been included connected the App Privacy conception of the App Store. “Another blunder by us,” Brownlee says. “This was mode excessively broad.” Brownlee says that the database really was “a database of things that you arsenic a developer supply to the App Store for things that the app may, astatine immoderate point, inquire conscionable to archer radical up of time, conscionable to beryllium safe, and we conscionable checked mode excessively galore boxes.”

Brownlee says that astir of the boxes were checked due to the fact that of “broad suggestions” from the app’s advertisement service, AdMob. “To beryllium clear, I bash not privation your data,” helium says. He besides points retired that you tin usage the app and get wallpapers without making an account.

In the afloat video, which is much than 15 minutes long, Brownlee discusses different aspects of the app, excessively similar that determination volition beryllium play drops connected Fridays with caller creation and that helium tin “personally promise” that the app won’t beryllium filled with AI-generated slop.

The Panels app launched the aforesaid time arsenic MKBHD’s iPhone 16 review successful September.