Apple creates dedicated portal for users to remove unwanted U2 album
With hordes of iTunes customers loudly voicing their displeasure at having received 22-time Grammy-award-winning rock group U2's latest album for free in recent days, Apple responded to the cacophony on Monday with a new single-purpose web portal that will allow disgruntled users to remove the album from their iTunes accounts.
As detailed in a new support document, unhappy customers can now do away with the album in a simple three-step process. The support update was first noted by Re/code.
Users should first visit the special Songs of Innocence removal page at http://itunes.com/soi-remove. They will then need to click "Remove Album," before signing in with the Apple ID that they have associated with purchases from the iTunes Store.
The album created quite a stir after Apple and U2 announced a pact to give it away for free to every iTunes customer. Unfortunately, users who enabled the "Automatically download new purchases" option in iTunes saw their new purchase automatically downloaded, causing consternation among a vocal portion of Apple's customer base who alternately claim to never have heard of U2 --?a band that has sold more than 150 million albums --?or to simply not want the LP.
Those who did purchase the album by clicking on the "Free" download link in the iTunes Store, but who now wish to rid themselves of it, will find the album hidden from their Purchased list after visiting the removal portal. If they desire its future return, it can be unhidden at any time.
As detailed in a new support document, unhappy customers can now do away with the album in a simple three-step process. The support update was first noted by Re/code.
Users should first visit the special Songs of Innocence removal page at http://itunes.com/soi-remove. They will then need to click "Remove Album," before signing in with the Apple ID that they have associated with purchases from the iTunes Store.
The album created quite a stir after Apple and U2 announced a pact to give it away for free to every iTunes customer. Unfortunately, users who enabled the "Automatically download new purchases" option in iTunes saw their new purchase automatically downloaded, causing consternation among a vocal portion of Apple's customer base who alternately claim to never have heard of U2 --?a band that has sold more than 150 million albums --?or to simply not want the LP.
Those who did purchase the album by clicking on the "Free" download link in the iTunes Store, but who now wish to rid themselves of it, will find the album hidden from their Purchased list after visiting the removal portal. If they desire its future return, it can be unhidden at any time.
Comments
Now what I want is a dedicated Portal that lets me remove unwanted applications that I've downloaded, but immediately deleted.
I really don't want to see them in a list of 'my applications' anywhere.
Let me flag them as 'Never Show These To Me Again'.
Please tell me there will be a brand new circle of Hell constructed to accommodate these unhappy customers...
It is free so where is the problem?
Because it's crap music by an equally crappy band.
Now what I want is a dedicated Portal that lets me remove unwanted applications that I've downloaded, but immediately deleted.
I really don't want to see them in a list of 'my applications' anywhere.
Let me flag them as 'Never Show These To Me Again'.
would be nice indeed. But I think its possible to remove apps you bought but you dont want to see them anymore. Not sure how.
http://www.whoisu2.com/
It is free so where is the problem?
The problem is when more than a dozen, unwanted songs pollute your song list without your approval or action.
It is free so where is the problem?
If you have no interest at all in U2, it's annoying to scroll through your music collection on the iPhone and have U2 peppered in throughout your actual albums, songs, random playlists, etc. Just because it's free doesn't mean people want it on their device with the rest of the content they actually listen to. For example, how would you feel if you opened up your music player and magically a new Smash Mouth album was sitting in your list of music - don't worry it's for free.
People jumped on this like a cat to milk. I don't remember these types of complaints when Jay-Z's album was given to all Samnsung owners, if in fact they also preloaded them to everyone.
Users would be able to remove this from iOS themselves if Apple allowed it like they used to do for apps downloaded from the App Store. IIRC you could go to purchased, swipe, and select hide from purchases. Apple should bing that back if it was there before, or if it wasn't there before they should add it.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Now what I want is a dedicated Portal that lets me remove unwanted applications that I've downloaded, but immediately deleted.
I really don't want to see them in a list of 'my applications' anywhere.
Let me flag them as 'Never Show These To Me Again'.
The portal is called iTunes. Control click the app and select "Delete", confirm and it is done.
I like the album, but I do agree they shouldn't have pushed it on everyone. That was a little... irritating? I think the biggest issues was force-downloading to everyone. Maybe if I could get an email saying "hey, here it is... come get it". But now they are doing it in reverse. "Hey here's a link so you can unget it". Would have been better to make the offer and then even remind me in a week or two.
Keep Match enabled, but disable 'Show All Music' in (iOS)/Settings/Music:
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Oh, and thanks for the free album Apple. I really like you too, just not the band.
Already discussed in another thread, but we already had the option to not view it:
Keep Match enabled, but disable 'Show All Music' in (iOS)/Settings/Music:
That is not a satisfactory solution imo. The day Apple feels they can populate my inbox, iTunes account, iCloud space, iBooks etc with content just because it is free is the day that Apple truly is doomed. Seriously. Not that I am worried it will ever happen. More to the point, what I would like is the ability to log into my Music Match collection at the server end and select tracks, albums or artists to hide. I can choose not to see them on my iPhone or in iTunes, but more than that I'd like not to have to rifle through them when I shuffle my libraries / song lists around. This has become a problem because my family shares a single iTunes music / books / apps account. It saves us money but there is now a lot of junk there (kids). Hopefully the new iCloud family feature will help resolve this.
Thanks Apple, we do NOT want that shit. Not even for free!
If reports of true that Apple's "payment" for this free music includes sponsoring combined Apple/U2 advertising, then Apple is in big trouble. Those U2 ads are as likely to irritate as sell. Apple seems out of touch.
This incident highlights a theme I've been harping on for a year or more. Apple's management is becoming culturally insular. iPhones are not designed in the U.S., they're "Designed in California." And yet, illogically, they're assembled in China, rather than one of China's provinces.
The new OS X names are following a similar path. They're not named after the world's natural wonders (a marvelous idea) or even those of the U.S. (great too).
No, they focus solely on California, a state troubled by some of the worst public schools in the country, among the worst infrastructure woes, and a poverty rate almost three times the national average. It's easier to understand why they might be embarrassed by their presence in California and try to hide it. After all, this isn't 1965 and "California Dreamin" isn't the top song it once was. Times have changed.
This is weird, absolutely weird. Apple desperately needs a reality check.