Marques Brownlee’s Panels wallpaper app is shutting down on December 31, barely a year after its controversial launch. “We made mistakes when we built our first app, and ultimately, we weren’t able to turn it into the vision that I had,” Brownlee said in a video on the MKBHD YouTube channel.
Launched in September 2024, Panels faced a flood of criticism over its expensive subscription pricing and advertising setup. “Earlier this year, the makeup of the development team changed, and despite our best efforts to bring on colleagues who share our passion and vision, we were unable to find the right fit,” a message on the Panels website reads. “Rather than keep the app going without being able to develop it the way we originally envisioned, we felt it was best to make a clean break.”
All user data will be deleted after the app is closed, after which Brownlee plans to make the Panels code open source and available on GitHub. All subscriptions will be automatically canceled when the panel is removed from the App Store, and refunds for active subscriptions will be issued after December 31.
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