YouTuber Marques Brownlee Ends Panels App Amid Limited Demand
Marques Brownlee, a well-known YouTuber known as MKBHD, has said that his subscription-based wallpaper program Panels would stop working on December 31, 2025. The decision was made a little over a year after the app’s introduction in September 2024, when people were excited at first but then stopped using it.
Panels gave customers a choice of digital backgrounds for their phones and tablets for $11.99 (£9) a month, but many didn’t like the expensive price and small audience.
Creator Says It’s Hard To Keep A Long-Term Vision
Brownlee said in a recent YouTube video that the project started off well but didn’t end up being what he had hoped it would be. He remarked, “We messed up when we made our first app and couldn’t make it what I wanted.”
He called Panels a “rollercoaster ride,” pointing out that it had a lot of early success, including topping app store rankings and getting 2 million downloads, but it couldn’t keep that success going in such a narrow niche market.
Brownlee Thinks About What He Learned About The Panels Project
Brownlee said that Panels was made to establish a “vibrant ecosystem” that connects consumers with digital artists who make wallpaper. Even while the app did okay, it had a hard time keeping subscribers outside of its core base.
The YouTuber admitted that the target market was “insanely small,” pointing out that most people don’t actively look for paid wallpaper apps. He told admirers on social media after the news that they shouldn’t worry about it if they don’t like it.
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Privacy And Pricing Criticisms Followed Launch
Panels were looked at closely right after they came out because of their membership fee and data privacy procedures. These worries may have made it harder for more people to use them. Some people thought that paying a monthly price for digital backdrops was too much, especially with premium artist collaborations.
Brownlee, on the other hand, justified the price, saying that it helped support artists and keep quality high. Over time, though, even die-hard fans admitted that the app didn’t do as much as free ones.
Open-Source Transition Marks Hope For Future Projects
Brownlee made a good decision by saying that the Panels app code will be open source, which will let developers expand on it. A message on the official website read, “This will let anyone build on what we started. We’re excited to see what new projects may come out of it.”
Users will still be able to use any of the wallpapers they have downloaded or bought in the past, and any ongoing subscriptions will be canceled when the app closes.
MKBHD’s Tech Career Continues To Evolve Beyond Apps
Even though Brownlee’s business is no longer open, he still has a big impact on the digital world, with more than 20 million YouTube followers and collaborations with key internet companies. His in-depth assessments and critical thoughts on products are still shaping discussions about design, user experience, and innovation.
People who watch the industry think that Brownlee’s time with the panels could help him with future projects in software development, creative tools, or digital art ecosystems.
Panel Shutdown Reflects Broader Market Challenges
Analysts say that Panels’ collapse shows how hard it is to make money from specialized digital apps in a mobile market that is already too full. Even though Brownlee has a huge global following, it was hard to keep up long-term growth when users expected free customizing tools.
The project’s open-source heritage might yet inspire a new generation of independent developers to build on its architecture, which could keep the spirit of Panels alive in future creative ventures.
