MKBHD is getting cancelled over $12/month wallpaper app, ad overload, and excessive permissions

midian182

midian182

Posts: 10,633   +141
Staff member
A hot potato: Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, has long been one of those rare tech YouTubers who remains universally liked by fans. But his popularity has been put to the test after he released a wallpaper app with a $12 per month/$50 per year premium option that users say has excessive ads and asks for too many permissions. Now, Marques says he will be addressing these issues; but the pricing isn't going to change.

MKBHD launched the Panels Wallpapers (just called Panels on Android) app this week. The YouTuber personally curates high-resolution digital wallpapers from artists, but unlocking them costs $12 per month or $50 per year.

Users don't have to subscribe, as long as they don't mind being stuck with lower-resolution (SD) images that require watching two 30-second ads – per image – to unlock them.

Brownlee says the money from the app is split 50/50 with artists, but that hasn't appeased the number of people complaining about the streaming service-like prices, especially when there are so many free images out there. The excessive number and length of the app's ads have also brought outcry, and some say that the wallpapers aren't even that impressive.

Something else that is bothering users is Panel's permissions. Apple's App Store listing states that the app may be used to track users across apps and websites owned by other companies. It may also collect location data, search history, and other identifiers if permitted.

Brownlee has now addressed some of these issues in a post on X. He says that Panels never asks for location or internet history, and that the data disclosures are mainly driven by what ad networks suggest.

The reviewer says that the developers will be "fixing" the data disclosures and he will be reducing the frequency of ads in the free Panels experience.

One thing that isn't changing is the price. MKBHD instead said he will be working to offer more value in the premium version, with weekly Friday drops already starting. It remains to be seen if people believe that will make Panels worth the money. The app currently has a 2.6-star rating on the App Store and 2.1 stars on Android.

It's estimated that Brownlee is worth more than $8.5 million. His tech reviews are so popular that there were questions raised over the influence he has on the industry following his video on the Humane AI Pin, which he called the worst product he's ever reviewed.

Unlike Linus Tech Tips, which lost a lot of fans following allegations of unethical behavior, inaccuracies, and sexual harassment last year, MKBHD has long been on a similar can-do-no-wrong pedestal as Gamers Nexus' Stephen Burke. But the app controversy is a rare PR black eye for Brownlee, especially as Panels and its pricing are the sort of things he would have undoubtedly slammed in one of his reviews.

Permalink to story:

MKBHD is getting cancelled over $12/month wallpaper app, ad overload, and excessive permissions

 
Bad for thee, good for me. When money is involved, incentives, reality, and sometimes a bit of greed ensures a common level of shittiness.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Starfals
Andrew Groove, the former Intel CEO, once said, "In a place like this, only the paranoid survive." That means you need to think ahead about how you can make your product better and cheaper so you can compete. Many companies produce a fairly standard product in a market that's already flooded with similar ones. They spend money on ads to grab people's attention and convince them to buy their product. I suppose that might have been effective in the past, say in the 90s and before, when people were more isolated. But today, they can communicate with each other. If you show them a mediocre product through advertising, you're basically just paying for ads and marketing to make people avoid your product.

For example, a few months ago, a company that makes NVMe had a bug in just one specific model that made the NVMe fail soon after a few writes. As a result, I'm now reluctant to buy any NVMe from that company, even if I didn't have that specific model and didn't experience any data loss and they have "fixed" the bug. I won't use an NVME from this well-known company, even if it's free or if I'm paid to use it. I want my data on the NVME to be as safe as possible. I'm sure there are many others who want their data to be as secure as possible. So not only a review but even a bug can kill a huge company if it's in a critical sector that affects the trust on that company.
 
Aren't most mobile wallpaper apps this way? They are filled with ads.
I would not pay 50 bucks a year for a freaking wallpaper app though.
I assume this is something for people who really like his work.
I am using Wallpo right now. I like the selection of their live wallpapers a lot and definitely recommend it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drjekelmrhyde and Plutoisaplanet
Cancelling a youtuber over wallpapers seems like hardly any justification to use the loaded term 'Cancel' to begin with when you consider most youtubers nowadays get cancelled for soliciting minors in their audience as it's so common it's a stereotype at this point.

If I wanted something to give him mild pushback on I would instead bring up his extremely soft-ball interviews of famous 'tech' CEOs and such but again, nobody really expected MKBHD to become a hard hitting journalist that would take Bill Gates to task over his influence over pandemic era vaccines policies, distribution and availability.

Even if we just look at 'tech' stuff everyone already mostly forgotten about Linus Sebastian flat out stealing a prototype and allegedly turning a blind eye and fostering sexual harassment of former LMG employees: I think people will get over a few stupid wallpapers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpaFur, drjekelmrhyde, godrilla and 4 others
I stopped following him when he encouraged his viewers to artificially boost certain content creators just because they happen to be African Americans (not because they were better than other creators). It was right after BLM riots which he supported.
So no, he wasn't universally liked.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gingerbill and toooooot
Back in 2021 I paid £12.99 for a lifetime license of Wallcraft Wallpapers (iOS). I go through fairly regular phases of wanting to change my wallpaper - particularly if I have a new phone - so I feel I'm getting pretty good value for money.
 
$12 for a wallpaper app, each to their own. I would assume those who are really into wallpapers would seek their own. game, anime, hentai, nature, marvel etc

I think many on us here remember PC wallpaper apps were like one of the main sources of viruses, so I have a natural aversion to them anyway
 
ruid84 said:
I stopped following him when he encouraged his viewers to artificially boost certain content creators just because they happen to be African Americans (not because they were better than other creators). It was right after BLM riots which he supported.
So no, he wasn't universally liked.
Click to expand...
Sometimes I wonder if I saw the world, and what happened in 2020 particularly, differently if were a different race.
I think I would. It is probably just a human nature. People will forever feel more positive to their kind
and less positive toward other ethnicities. I only think that this is not the mentality that made the country Marques lives in. In fact, I am confident that the countries where people strongly separate theirs and not theirs are the country that struggle with progress the most.
But as I said, I do not think people are even aware of
how they percive reality and how much of this reality is a resutl of who they are. It is something automatic. When you open your eyes, you see things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drjekelmrhyde and sdms96825
ruid84 said:
I stopped following him when he encouraged his viewers to artificially boost certain content creators just because they happen to be African Americans (not because they were better than other creators). It was right after BLM riots which he supported.
So no, he wasn't universally liked.
Click to expand...
I just checked and he specifically said this:
Marques Brownlee said:
There's a lot of threads going around about finding black creators and just following them, supporting them, and that's great, that's really positive but make sure you follow them and support them because you actually really like what they do.
Click to expand...
He later says this (regarding more directly about boosting "certain" content creators):
Marques Brownlee said:
So what I'm asking is find a diverse group of creators, and actually get into it and enjoy what they're making, the actual creation itself and why they're a creator. That's the best part of it.

I'm going to link some of my favorites below. I encourage you guys if you have suggestions to link those in the comments down below, and then if you want go through those and look through and find some of your new creators that you can find and support in this way.
Click to expand...
It seems like he did that one time ever. He's not a racially motivated person as you describe, and he does focus on technology.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SpiritCrusher, Prrredictable, drjekelmrhyde and 3 others
unoficialoficial said:
For example, a few months ago, a company that makes NVMe had a bug in just one specific model that made the NVMe fail soon after a few writes. As a result, I'm now reluctant to buy any NVMe from that company, even if I didn't have that specific model and didn't experience any data loss and they have "fixed" the bug. I won't use an NVME from this well-known company, even if it's free or if I'm paid to use it. I want my data on the NVME to be as safe as possible. I'm sure there are many others who want their data to be as secure as possible. So not only a review but even a bug can kill a huge company if it's in a critical sector that affects the trust on that company.
Click to expand...

I'll probably be roasted for being pedantic (but I gotta be me): NVMe is a storage device interface specification, not a device. What you have is likely an SSD in m.2 form factor, the now ubiquitous internal SSD 'stick' form. For example, you wouldn't refer to an older spinning disk as "a SATA", you'd have likely said "a SATA drive". So, you have an NVMe drive.

I also don't think you'll be sued just for naming the company (Samsung). It was widely covered in tech news, and Samsung addressed it. Their responsiveness to the seriousness of the issue gave me _greater_ confidence in buying their products. However, that could change; who knows, maybe my 990 Pro (from after the fix was implemented) will just go blank one day. If so, I'll just have to restore from backup.

Last I checked, Samsung wasn't killed by that failure.
 
"Linus Tech Tips, which lost a lot of fans following allegations of unethical behavior, inaccuracies, and sexual harassment last year"

Really, did he lose fans? How was that measured? Those issues happen in ALL organizations that have multiple staff members - linus cannot monitor every person 24/7. The only reason I dont watch their videos as much anymore is because I am not seeing any content I am interested in.
 
More hilariously someone hacked it within a few hours and all the wallpapers are up for free for anyone who wants them. Quite a few are AI-generated and others are apparently from Unsplash (free stock pics)
 
Plutoisaplanet said:
I just checked and he specifically said this:

He later says this (regarding more directly about boosting "certain" content creators):

It seems like he did that one time ever. He's not a racially motivated person as you describe, and he does focus on technology.
Click to expand...
Jut because he didn't go full SJW and tried to slightly polish his message (e.g. added "make sure you really like it"), it doesn't invalidate my general point. He was trying to boost certain creator based on racer/ethnicity (why not promoting all great content creators despite the race?). He was injecting current politics into the tech channel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: toooooot
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

midian182
MKBHD faces backlash for driving at 95mph in 35mph zone in a sponsored video
Replies
17
Views
579
Phylop
Phylop
midian182
Humane shuts down Ai Pin business as HP buys the company, devices will be bricked
Replies
4
Views
161
UdyrL
UdyrL
midian182
This is how Apple ensures the iPhone's durability and water resistance, an inside look
Replies
6
Views
499
Nobina
Nobina

Latest posts

Back