YouTuber Marques Brownlee's Wallpaper App Costs Over £37 a Year!

Kathmandu – In today's world, finding free wallpapers for Android phones isn't much of a challenge. There are countless apps and websites offering free wallpapers, and with AI, you can even create customised ones in seconds.

Despite this, popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, has launched a new wallpaper app called Panels. The app requires an annual subscription fee of $50 (around NPR 6,650) to use its premium features.

Since its release, the app has faced criticism over its performance, pricing, and the permissions it requests. The Panels app is available on both Android and iOS, and while downloading the app is free, accessing high-quality HD wallpapers requires a paid subscription. If you wish to download lower-quality wallpapers, you need to watch at least two ads. Many users are unhappy with the frequent ads and the app's permission requests.

The Apple App Store lists the permissions required by the app, including access to your location. After downloading, users are asked to grant this permission, and if given, the app may track other activities on the device.

Following the backlash, Brownlee took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that the app does not ask for unnecessary permissions and promised to soon explain how the collected data is used. He also announced plans to reduce the number of ads for free users.

Brownlee has defended the app's price, stating that part of the cost goes to paying the artists who create the premium wallpapers. However, he has not commented on whether the price will be reduced in the future.