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A hot potato: Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, has long been one of those rare tech YouTubers who remains universally liked by fans. But his popularity has been put to the test after he released a wallpaper app with a $12 per month/$50 per year premium option that users say has excessive ads and asks for too many permissions. Now, MKBHD says he will be addressing these issues; but the pricing isn't going to change.
MKBHD launched the Panels Wallpapers (just called Panels on Android) app this week. The YouTuber personally curates high-resolution digital wallpapers from artists, but unlocking them costs $12 per month or $50 per year.
Users don't have to subscribe, as long as they don't mind being stuck with lower-resolution (SD) images that require watching two 30-second ads – per image – to unlock them.
Brownlee says the money from the app is split 50/50 with artists, but that hasn't appeased the number of people complaining about the streaming service-like prices, especially when there are so many free images out there. The excessive number and length of the app's ads have also brought outcry, and some say that the wallpapers aren't even that impressive.
Something else that is bothering users is Panel's permissions. Apple's App Store listing states that the app may be used to track users across apps and websites owned by other companies. It may also collect location data, search history, and other identifiers if permitted.
Brownlee has now addressed some of these issues in a post on X. He says that Panels never asks for location or internet history, and that the data disclosures are mainly driven by what ad networks suggest.
The reviewer says that the developers will be "fixing" the data disclosures and he will be reducing the frequency of ads in the free Panels experience.
– Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) September 24, 2024Part of building in public is getting mass feedback immediately, which is pretty dope. Almost exactly like publishing a YouTube video
First thing we're doing is fixing the excessive data disclosures, as people rightfully brought up. For transparency, we'd never actually ask for…
One thing that isn't changing is the price. MKBHD instead said he will be working to offer more value in the premium version, with weekly Friday drops already starting. It remains to be seen if people believe that will make Panels worth the money. The app currently has a 2.6-star rating on the App Store and 2.1 stars on Android.
It's estimated that Brownlee is worth more than $8.5 million. His tech reviews are so popular that there were questions raised over the influence he has on the industry following his video on the Humane AI Pin, which he called the worst product he's ever reviewed.
Unlike Linus Tech Tips, which lost a lot of fans following allegations of unethical behavior, inaccuracies, and sexual harassment last year, MKBHD has long been on a similar can't-do-no-wrong pedestal as Gamers Nexus' Stephen Burke. But the app controversy is a rare PR black eye for Brownlee, especially as the app and its pricing are the sort of things he would have undoubtedly slammed in one of his reviews.