MKBHD Will Fix Its Wallpaper App, But Not Its $50 Price

These days, finding free wallpapers for your Android phone has become incredibly easy. In addition to bringing you a fresh batch every Wednesday, numerous apps, websites, and AI image generators offer endless libraries for you to choose from for free. However, YouTuber MKBHD (Marques Brownlee) launched a controversial wallpaper app that costs $50 per year. After user complaints about the app’s performance, pricing, and permissions, the YouTuber promised to improve the app — while keeping the price the same.

Earlier this week, MKBHD launched Panels, a wallpaper app for iOS and Android devices. While the app is free to download, unlocking its HD content requires a $12/month or $50/year subscription. Alternatively, users can watch two ads in a row to unlock a specific SD wallpaper.

In addition to the possibly overpriced plan, users on the web have complained about the app’s permissions and excessive advertising. According to its listing on the Apple App Store, Panels can use location and other user identifiers to track users. If allowed, the app can also track users’ activity across other apps and websites.

In response to complaints from MKBHD users explained on Twitter that the tracking permissions are mostly suggested by ad networks and that Panels won’t actually ask users to share their location. The YouTuber promised to fix data collection disclosures and reduce the number of ads for free users.

As for pricing, MKBHD apparently won’t be lowering its prices for the paid plan. Instead, it will “work to deliver the value for the premium version.” Ironically, the YouTuber advertised the Panels app in his iPhone 16 review video, where he criticizes Apple for delivering an unfinished product.