“I wouldn’t have been very nice.”

Brownlee openly admitted that he was not happy with the first version of Panels. He said, “If I had reviewed this app, I wouldn’t have been very nice.”

The biggest point of contention among users was the price of the premium “Panels Plus” subscription, which was available for $11.99 per month or $49.99 per year. It provided ad-free and complete access to all wallpaper collections.

Improved free experience, introducing an affordable tier

Due to the criticism, Brownlee and his team have made some significant improvements to the free version of Panels.

They have removed in-feed ads and made all non-collection wallpapers available in 1080p resolution without ads.

You can now get a full resolution wallpaper by watching a single 30 second ad. Additionally, they have introduced an affordable “Standard” tier of Panels Plus for $1.99 per month that offers ad-free custom wallpapers.

Brownlee addresses privacy concerns and promises high-quality content

Brownlee also addressed privacy concerns regarding the app’s tracking features.

He admitted that the list of potential data collection points mentioned in the App Store’s App Privacy section was too broad and was a product of “general suggestions” from AdMob, the app’s advertising service.

He reassured users that most of the boxes were checked as a precautionary measure and explained his stance on privacy by saying, “To be clear: I don’t want your data.”

Panels App: A Commitment to Quality and User Experience

In his video, Brownlee also shared future plans for panels. He revealed that the app would feature weekly updates with new art every Friday.

He made a personal commitment to users and promised that the app would not be filled with AI-generated content.

The Panels app was launched in September to coincide with MKBHD’s testing of the iPhone 16.