Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, announced that his phone wallpaper app Panels will shut down on December 31, 2025, 15 months after its September 2024 launch.

Panels reached approximately 900,000 lifetime downloads and generated $95,000 in consumer spending across iOS and Android, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures, as cited by TechCrunch. The app ranked No. 1 on iOS and Google Play charts for photo apps during its launch month, but failed to sustain momentum.

In November, Panels received only 3,000 downloads and $500 in consumer spending, falling too low to rank on U.S. app stores. Users downloaded more than 2 million wallpapers from the app, according to Panels’ own disclosure.

“We knew it was niche, but we made mistakes in making our first app and – ultimately – we weren’t able to turn it into the vision I had,” Brownlee said in an unlisted YouTube video. In a blog post he noted that “the makeup of the development team changed,” and he was unable to find the right collaborators to grow the app.

Brownlee told followers the app “wasn’t able to sustain,” noting its “niche” appeal and audience.

Business Model and Market Position

Panels partnered with artists to sell high-resolution wallpapers via subscriptions priced at $50 per year or $12 per month, with artists receiving a cut of the revenue. The monthly fee started at $11.99 (£9).

Brownlee created Panels after fans consistently commented on wallpapers featured in his phone, tablet, and computer reviews. He noted that “where does mkbhd get his wallpapers” appears among the top Google search suggestions for his name.

Panels will refund users with active annual subscriptions when the app officially shuts down. According to a notice on the Panels website, users will keep purchased or downloaded wallpapers and the app code will become open source, allowing developers to build on the existing framework.

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