Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, is a well-known tech YouTuber who specializes in mobile content. Recently, he released a new wallpaper app called Panels for iOS and Android, featuring real artists instead of AI. However, the app is facing backlash on social media.
Brownlee initially announced the app on X. As of now, the post has received 1.6K comments, over 1.7K reposts, and more than 13K likes. Despite this engagement, the overall sentiment in the comments is negative.
One of the early responses to the post came from Quinn Nelson, also known as SnazzyLabs, another popular YouTuber. He highlighted the excessive permissions requested by the Panels app, including location, usage data, diagnostics, identifiers, purchases, contact info, and search history.
While SnazzyLabs conveyed his feedback politely, many other users were less kind. One user even remarked, “I haven’t seen MKBHD receive such harsh criticism before.”
Panels offers a premium subscription for $50 per year to access its wallpaper library, leading to discontent among users. One commenter compared the pricing strategy to the “Apple School of Pricing.”
Some fans have criticized Brownlee for being out of touch due to his fame and wealth, while others have expressed privacy concerns over the app’s permissions. Additionally, the app displays ads even for paid subscribers.
According to a post, Panels is essentially a rebranded version of an older wallpaper app with Brownlee’s branding on it.
YouTubers often diversify their business ventures beyond YouTube, and while Brownlee’s foray into app development is intriguing, it seems to be encountering challenges. To address the criticisms, Brownlee should consider removing ads, reducing the subscription cost, and minimizing the app’s permission requests.
MKBHD responded to the criticisms in another post, appreciating the feedback and pledging to address the excessive data disclosures. While he acknowledged the pricing concerns, the subscription fee is likely to remain at $50 as he aims to deliver value, with potential reductions in ad frequency for free users.
