Marques Brownlee says 'I hear you' after fans criticise his new wallpaper app

YouTuber Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD, has responded to criticisms surrounding the launch of his new wallpaper app, Panels. In a post on Tuesday, Brownlee said he was going to address users' concerns about pricing and “excessive data disclosure.”

Brownlee revealed the new app on Monday as part of his iPhone 16 review — a video that's usually one of his biggest videos of the year. But a flood of criticism about the panel app soon overshadowed comments about the new iPhone. “Part of building publicly is getting massive feedback immediately, which is awesome. Almost the same as publishing a YouTube video,” Brownlee said.

Panels aims to provide access to a curated selection of “stunning full resolution wallpapers” from digital artists, but fans aren't happy with the subscription that comes with it. It costs $49.99 per year (or $11.99 per month) for a Panels Plus subscription, which lets you download all the wallpapers in the app in high resolution. You can still access a more limited selection of wallpapers for free, but you can only download them in standard definition and have to watch two ads first.

“As far as the price is concerned, I hear you! It’s our own personal challenge to provide that kind of value for the premium version,” Brownlee said on X. “I would also reduce the ad frequency for the free experience.”

Users on the iOS version of Panels also pointed out some privacy concerns, as the app asks to track your activity on other websites and apps and also appears to use location data. Brownlee says these data disclosures are “likely too broad” and “we would never actually ask about your location, internet history, etc.” He says the Panels team is working to fix this issue. The Verge Brownlee was contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.

After more than a decade as a reviewer, Brownlee is moving quickly into creating his own products. He joined accessories company Ridge as chief creative partner and worked on a sneaker collaboration with Atoms. Brownlee says this new wallpaper app has been built “from the ground up” and will split profits 50/50 with the digital artists involved in the app. Brownlee says the app is “just starting out as a wallpaper app,” but he promises it will “continue to improve over time.”