MKBHD’s Panels app to shut down Dec 31 — developers to open-source code
Panels app shutting down Dec 31 — what went wrong and what’s next Marques Brownlee’s Panels app — a subscription-based marketplace for smartphone wallpapers — is closing on December 31. The developers cite difficulties building a team that shared their vision and say they couldn’t continue development. Annual subscribers will receive refunds and any wallpapers downloaded through the app will remain usable after the shutdown. In a conciliatory move, the team plans to publish the app’s source code so others can build on the project. That may let independent developers salvage features, create forks, or repurpose the code for new projects. Why Panels struggled Panels launched with heavy ambition but faced backlash over pricing — many users balked at the subscription model for wallpapers, a product category that historically struggles…
