back to article Apple gives fanbois The Sweetest Thing: A delete button for that U2 album

It's a Beautiful Day: Apple has created a utility to remove U2's Songs of Innocence album that was force-fed into people's iCloud libraries overnight. The delete tool, available from itunes.com/soi-remove, ejects the Irish boy band's free album from devices and iTunes accounts once and for all. "Once the album has been …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Finally gone! That was tougher than Norton to delete...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Just one more thing

      'Oh and just one more thing, there's a free U2 Album with every new Apple device'.

      They'd be in receivership in less than a month.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Norton maybe, but was it more difficult than trying to uninstall iTunes?!

  2. John Tserkezis

    "Once the album has been removed from your account, it will no longer be available for you to redownload as a previous purchase," Apple warns on its website.

    Promises promises...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I did listen to it....

      Mistake

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        I didn't think it was all that bad. You could listen to it without your ears bleeding, and It had some tunes. Just rather dull ones...

        I hadn't realised what Apple had done until I saw about the third headline, and actually read the story. I just assumed it was one of those things you could download for free, like they've often done at Christmas. Then when I checked, it was on my iPad already. I'm not sure the story's worth all the fuss. But I suppose Apple were rather rude. It also shows they've lost their untouchable coolness factor with the mainstream press, and now cop as much flack as any other huge multi-national. Although they still get more free publicity than most...

  3. wolfetone Silver badge

    You know why it was given away for free?

    Because it's shite. They should've retired after "All That You Can't Leave Behind".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: You know why it was given away for free?

      It wasn't done for free though .... £100m from Apple. And then don't pay their taxes.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: You know why it was given away for free?

      Wasn't 'free', it only came with an iDevice, £500+ for a U2 album is a little excessive.

    3. Jedit Silver badge

      "They should've retired after "All That You Can't Leave Behind"."

      But surely the new Apple tool means you can leave it behind?

  4. Terafirma-NZ

    Apple fans .... no I must not have for free you must charge me for it.

    I see it in my account I just didn't download it seems simple to me.

  5. Diogenes

    curious minds wonder

    the last report I saw said that 2million of the 500million copies had been downloaded (I wonder how many deliberately) - I wonder how many have used the soi remove tool by the end of next week.

    1. El_Fev

      Re: curious minds wonder

      I reckon 10 maybe 12... Jesus first world problems

  6. Paul Hovnanian Silver badge

    [Sigh]

    So this is what has become of RickRolling.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Devil

      Re: [Sigh]

      Perhaps Microsoft should put out a press release, on behalf of Google, threatening promising to give all Android users a free Rick Astley album. Then Windows Phone sales would shoot through the roof...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    U2

    Sunk without trace.

    1. El_Fev

      Re: U2

      take a bow... :p

    2. Annihilator

      Re: U2

      Gary Powers chief suspect?

  8. Anomalous Cowshed

    Worried sick from Giggleswick

    <sarcasm on> O foolish Commentards! U2 are icons, they are modern-day saints! How dare you so lightly criticise their heavenly music after all they've done for the world - nay, for you in person! Without U2 what would you be? Compared to U2, what are you? Next to nothing. Today they offer you music to soothe your nerves, nay, manna from heaven, free of charge, like all the best things in life! And instead of praising them, and thanking them on your knees for this precious gift, you ungratefully blaspheme against them. The devil has clearly wrought its work among you screen-worshipping heretics!!! <enough sarcasm for today>

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And cRapple

    pushing stuff onto you from within their walled garden is news how?

    Downvote away, but they really are showing their true colours.

    The rot is starting to set in.

  10. Simon Harris

    Golgafrincham

    Bono: "look at it this way... The blood, sweat and tears of sone Irish guys are in your junk mail". Is that sanitary?

    Sounds like Apple need to get the telephone sanitisers in.

  11. Turtle

    They've Looked At Clouds From Both Sides Now But They Really Don't Know Clouds At All. Tra-la-la.

    "the album push was seen as another unwanted intrusion into people's cloud files."

    It seems that some people do not even know what clouds are for.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ha Ha </muntz>

  13. jai

    1st World Problems

    Peter Cohen put it best:

    But the inordinate amount of actual anger directed at Apple and U2 over this is so disproportional to the actual event, I’ve started to wonder about the mental state of some of those complaining. It’s really been off the charts.

    If you fall into that camp, let me speak very plainly: I have no sympathy for you. I have trouble thinking of a more self-indulgent, “first world problem” than saying “I hate this free new album I’ve been given.”

    http://www.imore.com/nsfw-apple-u2-and-looking-gift-horse-mouth

    1. Tony Paulazzo

      Re: 1st World Problems

      The album was given away to iTunes users by Apple

      The album was force fed to iTunes users by Apple (FTFY) - it wasn't opt in (and barely opt out) - requiring a button on Apples web site to remove the tax dodging crooner off your device.

      1st world corporate issues indeed...

    2. tony2heads

      Re: 1st World Problems

      Trouble with gift horses is that they still defecate in your lawn.

      Don't give people shit they don't want

    3. DropBear
      Childcatcher

      Re: 1st World Problems

      I have trouble thinking of a more self-indulgent, “first world problem” than saying “I hate this free new album I’ve been given.”

      You, Sir, are forthwith banned from ever expressing discontent towards pigeons and their free offerings henceforth! Have a good day!

  14. Bloodbeastterror

    "...get..."?

    "If you later decide you want the album, you will need to get it again."

    Is it too much to ask that they make it clear whether this means "buy it again"? I suspect it does.

    1. Simon Harris

      Re: "...get..."?

      The BBC version of the story, which has a snapshot of the removal tool states

      "Users who remove the album and do not download it again before 13 October will be charged for the 11 tracks if they subsequently try to add them again."

  15. imanidiot Silver badge
    Facepalm

    yawn

    and more yawn

  16. AbelSoul

    Even better than an iThing?

  17. JDX Gold badge

    For goodness' sake

    They never made you download it, they only made it available to download IF you wanted it. They did not upload the album into 500 million peoples' accounts, they merely set the permissions so that everyone could access it.

    People concerned about security and privacy really should bother to do the slightest amount of research if it's something they are worried about, rather than remain totally ignorant while simultaneously complaining they don't feel safe.

    1. Matthew 17

      Re: For goodness' sake

      This!

      However if you set iTunes or iDevices to 'automatically download all purchases' then the album would appear locally on your machine and not just in the iCloud to stream from. Where you'd then spend all of 5 seconds removing it just as you'd remove any other track or album you no longer wanted.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Um Bono, Um Bono, they have it downloaded to their iTunes accounts in the Congo

        To be fair, whether or not you delete it, the automatic download (of an album you never "purchased" or knew about) would still have wasted some of your bandwidth. That- at least- may be a legitimate reason for complaint from those on cap-limited accounts.

        That said, yeah... for the most part this has been blown out of proportion and smacks of this being week's First World Problem. I'm not a massive fan of Bonio and chums personally, but get over yourselves.

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Re: automatic download

          Thanks AC, that does make a bit more sense, probably it shouldn't have been allowed to get onto your device without explicit permission.

      2. Annihilator

        Re: For goodness' sake

        "Where you'd then spend all of 5 seconds removing it just as you'd remove any other track or album you no longer wanted."

        Hans Moleman put it best: "You stole 4 minutes of my life and I want them back. Ah I'd only waste them anyway..."

        Although it turns out it wasn't that easy to remove from your device!

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Remove U2

    When they say "remove U2", does this include a tactical nuclear strike over Bono's house?

    1. Simon Harris
      Coat

      Re: Remove U2

      U2 removal tool...

      I believe an S-75 / V-750VN combination is the traditional tool of choice.

  19. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge
    Coat

    "Hey, U2, get off of my cloud!"

    ...as the Rollling Stones* might have put it

    * a far superior band by any measure

  20. mark 63 Silver badge

    my dad was subjected to this U2 album , He's 79 and has his parent's tase in Music.

    He said "This free gift is as welcome as the gifts the cat brings in"

  21. Simon Harris
    Paris Hilton

    I don't have any iThingies...

    so, can someone with more knowledge of such things than me please explain why Apple needed to come up with a tool just to remove a particular set of tracks from one's account?

    Isn't a delete function a fairly universal feature of operating systems these days?

    Paris because... she probably knows about as much about iOS as me! ------>

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: I don't have any iThingies...

      There's a difference between what's stored on your device, and what's in your account. If you own a phone, PC and tablet, you may have different content downloaded on each.

      And you can't (that I know of) delete content from being IN your library. It's not in your library to begin with really, Apple just record in a central server which albums you bought and are allowed to download. "deleting" it doesn't make much sense if you paid for it, unless you want to hide your music taste from someone :)

  22. Stevie

    Bah!

    Wow. U2, the all-purpose git-attractant.

  23. Ian Joyner Bronze badge

    Such umbrage over a free album. If you don't want it or like it - simple solution don't download and listen to it! It's hardly intrusive.

    Why not complain about the increasing intrusiveness of advertisements? Like U2 or not, their album is a result of their own work. Advertisements are just similar "hey look at me", but at a much lower level.

    I would have preferred Yes's just released "Heaven and Earth", but I'm not going to get all bent out of shape like the Register or some here, making another pathetic attempt to mobilize the masses against Apple.

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