Google is making it easier for Android apps to detect and block sideloading Key Takeaways MKBHD's Panels Wallpaper app faced backlash for its pricey subscription model when it was first released. The YouTuber promised changes at the time, and they're rolling out now. The app now offers a cheaper subscription tier, paired with the complete elimination of in-feed ads. Initial permission data concerns have also been addressed with free weekly art drops promised.
The harsh truth of the world we live in is that if something is available for free, only a small number of people would pay for it. That was, or is, the case with tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee's (MKBHD) Panels Wallpaper app, which launched last month only to be berated by everyone and their mother.
At the time, the app faced a storm of criticism not only for being mid, but also for its free-to-use with ads model. To gain full access to the app, which included all wallpapers in full resolution and no ads, users had to shell out $49.99 per year or $11.99 per month. Yes, users were disappointed by the app, but they were primarily upset because they hadn't expected it from a figure of the community tech community.
Related MKBHD's Panels is off to a rough start after being labeled a cash grab
Brownlee is promising change
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MKBHD subsequently owned up, suggesting that he was aware of the vast user criticism and that he was working on some changes that would make the app better.
Now, roughly two-and-a-half weeks in, the tech YouTuber has uploaded a new video highlighting several changes made to the app, including a cheaper $1.99 per month 'Standard' subscription tier. The cheaper tier offers no ads on full-res single wallpapers, alongside exclusive app icons, as seen in the screenshot below (ignore the CAD pricing).
The original subscription has now been renamed as the 'Unlimited' tier, offering all the perks of the Standard subscription in addition to access to all available collections and early access to new wallpapers. The Unlimited tier only makes sense for those who want to purchase multiple collections, which are normally priced between $4.99 and $10.99.
No ads in the wallpaper feed, fewer ads for full-res downloads
Proceeds from the subscriptions and wallpaper collections still go to artists on the platform. The free experience of the app has been upgraded too, with users now seeing one 30-second ad instead of two when downloading a full-res (4K or 8K) wallpaper.
All non-collection wallpapers in 1080p have also been made free, which essentially means that free users wouldn't have to watch ads to download them, alongside in-feed ads being completely eliminated!
Another issue with the app's initial build was its more-than-needed permission requirement, including location data, usage data, identifiers, and more. Users were confused as to why a wallpaper app would require so much user data. At the time, Brownlee suggested that permission requirements were "largely driven by what the ad networks suggest," and that a fix was being worked on.
With the announcement today, MKBHD clarified that this was just a case of too many unrequired boxes remaining ticked, and the app doesn't actually need all that data to function. "That was my bad on the disclosures, and that's been fixed," said Brownlee.
To conclude, the YouTuber also offered hints at what users can expect from the app in the future. "We are committing to doing weekly drops every Friday of new art into the app, and we have a ton of stuff in queue," said Brownlee. This is something that he had suggested in his initial response to the harsh criticism the app received. Today is Friday, and the app isn't surfacing a 'drop' for me as of writing. It is likely that the freebies will begin showing up starting next Friday, October 18. MKBHD also added that the app will regularly be updated on the Play Store and App Store, and users would be able to find details about the updates on Panels' X (Twitter) account.
We may forever be cursed by a one-star rating and I know that the comments and memes will probably never actually end, even though some of them were pretty funny. Hopefully, we can, with enough transparency, earn your respect and your trust back and ideally, the people who want the wallpapers, now they have got somewhere to get them.