Apple Outrages Users By Automatically Installing U2's Album On Their Devices

[dmcowen674]

9-15-2014

http://beta.slashdot.org/story/207223

Apple Outrages Users By Automatically Installing U2's Album On Their Devices


"Free" album costs users roaming $2,000

"Apple may have succeeded at breaking two records at once with the free release of U2's latest album, titled Songs of Innocence, via iTunes.

But now, it looks like it's also on track to become one of the worst music publicity stunts of all time.

Users who have opted to download new purchases to their iPhones automatically have found the new U2 album sitting on their phones. But even if iTunes users hadn't chosen automatic downloads, Songs of Innocence will still be displayed as an "iTunes in the Cloud" purchase. That means it will still be shown as part of your music library, even if you delete all the tracks.

With roaming costs upwards of $19.95 per megabyte the free album will be very profitable for carriers.

The only way to make the U2 album go away is to go to your Mac or PC and hide all of your "iTunes in the Cloud" purchases, or to use iTunes to manually hide each track from your purchased items list. Other reactions include rapper, Tyler, The Creator, saying that having the new U2 album automatically downloaded on his iPhone was like waking up with a STD

 

[dmcowen674]

This is what you get with Companies with no oversight and you don't own what you buy, they do.

 

[Bitek]

What carrier charges 20/mb? Still tho, is annoying when you can't easily remove things from your device.

Owners should be outraged for how long it took for Apple to make modern devices and OS features, even if that meant ripping off all the Android features.
Welcome to 2012 ifans!

 

[Matt1970]

What carrier charges 20/mb? Still tho, is annoying when you can't easily remove things from your device.

Owners should be outraged for how long it took for Apple to make modern devices and OS features, even if that meant ripping off all the Android features.
Welcome to 2012 ifans!

This. Besides, it's about time Apple starting giving stuff away for free. It helps make up for all the years of them charging 3x what a computer should cost.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Meh.

 

[xBiffx]

Outrages...

Learned a new word today. I know its correct, but the author could have chosen a better word.

 

[PokerGuy]

This really pretty much defines "first world problems". It would annoy the hell out of me if my provider decided to put garbage on my phone that way. It's bad enough they put preloaded crap all over a perfectly good phone, but to later add even more garbage on there without my asking for it is even dumber.

Then again, if you use an iphone, you should be used to the company deciding for you what you should like and how you should like it.

 

[fskimospy]

I have to say this is perhaps the first time I've ever agreed with Dave in a thread. (although he's exaggerating the costs) It's pretty shitty for a company to push something onto its customers that may cause them significant costs without warning or consent.

Sure it's not going to cost the average person anywhere near $20/MB but even if you're just talking normal data caps I'd be pissed.

 

[mikeymikec]

"Users who have opted to download new purchases to their iPhones automatically have found"... that a new album downloaded automatically.


THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!
Why are there no Harvey Birdman meme-able images when I need them?

 

[xBiffx]

I have to say this is perhaps the first time I've ever agreed with Dave in a thread. (although he's exaggerating the costs) It's pretty shitty for a company to push something onto its customers that may cause them significant costs without warning or consent.

Sure it's not going to cost the average person anywhere near $20/MB but even if you're just talking normal data caps I'd be pissed.

Push? Where's the push?

The user has to set a setting for this to even get downloaded. If they have issues with automatic downloads and data caps, perhaps they shouldn't click automatic downloads? :\

 

[fskimospy]

Push? Where's the push?

The user has to set a setting for this to even get downloaded. If they have issues with automatic downloads and data caps, perhaps they shouldn't click automatic downloads? :\

From my understanding it's automatic downloads for things you consciously chose to purchase. In every case there you've affirmatively selected something to be downloaded at that time. (Again, from my understanding. I don't think I've ever bought something off itunes.)

Even with automatic downloads enabled it's not unreasonable to assume that the only things that will be automatically downloaded are those you chose. Shitty move here.

 

[IronWing]

There's already a long thread on this over on ATOT. The consensus is that 1) Apple sucks, 2) U2 is past their expiration date, and 3) U2 made a buttload (that's a metric unit) of money off the deal.

 

[xBiffx]

From my understanding it's automatic downloads for things you consciously chose to purchase. In every case there you've affirmatively selected something to be downloaded at that time. (Again, from my understanding. I don't think I've ever bought something off itunes.)

Even with automatic downloads enabled it's not unreasonable to assume that the only things that will be automatically downloaded are those you chose. Shitty move here.

There is a huge data warning message when you want things to be automatically downloaded. The user needs to start reading the information that pops up rather than just automatically disregarding it.

I hate Apple as much as the next guy. However, I hate the idiot users they attract so much more. This is nothing more than people being idiots and wanting someone else to fix that. I am actually surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more. Apple can pretty much get away with whatever they want considering their clientele.

 

[fskimospy]

There is a huge data warning message when you want things to be automatically downloaded. The user needs to start reading the information that pops up rather than just automatically disregarding it.

I hate Apple as much as the next guy. However, I hate the idiot users they attract so much more. This is nothing more than people being idiots and wanting someone else to fix that.

I don't hate Apple at all, in fact my current phone is an iphone. This is still shitty.

I'd like to read the data warning that comes up on automatic downloads. I wonder if it mentions that Apple may choose to push 100+ megabytes to your phone without warning at any time.

 

[xBiffx]

I don't hate Apple at all, in fact my current phone is an iphone. This is still shitty.

I'd like to read the data warning that comes up on automatic downloads. I wonder if it mentions that Apple may choose to push 100+ megabytes to your phone without warning at any time.

I would think the particular message would depend on carrier and data plan.

However, Apple has this right on their terms of service:

AUTOMATIC DELIVERY AND DOWNLOADING PREVIOUS PURCHASES

When you first acquire music iTunes Products and music video iTunes Products (collectively, “iTunes Auto-Delivery Content&#8221, you may elect to automatically receive (“auto-download&#8221 copies of such iTunes Auto-Delivery Content on additional compatible iOS Devices and iTunes-authorized computers with compatible software by associating such iOS Devices and computers subject to the association rules below (each, an “Associated Device&#8221. For each Associated Device, you may specify which type of iTunes Auto-Delivery Content, if any, may be auto-downloaded to it. On an Associated Device that is capable of receiving push notifications (“Push-Enabled&#8221, including iOS Devices, the iTunes Auto-Delivery Content will auto-download to that Associated Device when it has an Internet connection; on an Associated Device that is not Push-Enabled, iTunes Auto-Delivery Content will automatically appear in the download queue and you may manually initiate the download within iTunes.

As an accommodation to you, subsequent to acquiring iTunes Auto-Delivery Content, purchased (i.e. not rented) movies iTunes Products and TV show iTunes Products (each, “iTunes Eligible Content&#8221, you may download certain of such previously-purchased iTunes Eligible Content onto any Associated Device. Some iTunes Eligible Content that you previously purchased may not be available for subsequent download at any given time, and Apple shall have no liability to you in such event. As you may not be able to subsequently download certain previously-purchased iTunes Eligible Content, once you download an item of iTunes Eligible Content, it is your responsibility not to lose, destroy, or damage it, and you may want to back it up.

Association of Associated Devices is subject to the following terms:

(i) You may auto-download iTunes Auto-Delivery Content or download previously-purchased iTunes Eligible Content from an Account on up to 10 Associated Devices, provided no more than 5 are iTunes-authorized computers.

(ii) An Associated Device can be associated with only one Account at any given time.

(iii) You may switch an Associated Device to a different Account only once every 90 days.

(iv) You may download previously-purchased free content onto an unlimited number of devices while it is free on the iTunes Service, but on no more than 5 iTunes-authorized computers.

An Apple TV is not an “Associated Device.” However, TV show iTunes Products and purchased (i.e. not rented) movies iTunes Products may be played back on compatible Apple TVs, provided that you may only play back any such TV show or movie on a limited number of Apple TVs at the same time.

Some pieces of iTunes Eligible Content may be large, and significant data charges may result from delivery of such iTunes Eligible Content over a data connection.

Also, its not without warning. YOU ACCEPTED THE AUTOMATIC DOWNLOADS. If this setting was selected automatically for you, then yes, this would be shitty.

 

[fskimospy]

I would think the particular message would depend on carrier and data plan.

However, apple has this right on their terms of service:

I don't see anything in the TOS that covers Apple sending you things you never elected to purchase. The part you bolded simply mentions that there can be data charges for the things you did.

 

[Rakehellion]

This really pretty much defines "first world problems".

Really. Why is this in Politics and News?

 

[PokerGuy]

I would think the particular message would depend on carrier and data plan.

However, Apple has this right on their terms of service:



Also, its not without warning. YOU ACCEPTED THE AUTOMATIC DOWNLOADS. If this setting was selected automatically for you, then yes, this would be shitty.

Yes, it is reasonable to expect that if you enable the setting, you might incur costs for automatic downloads of stuff *you* choose to buy. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that accepting automatic downloads of stuff you consciously buy would also include automatic downloads of stuff that Apple decided to add to your itunes. I'd be fine with automatic downloads of stuff I buy, but not fine with having an entire album of crap automatically downloaded to my phone because apple decided to do some promotion.

The difference is that one is initiated by you and the other isn't. Yes, it's obvious that you could incur costs with the automatic download set to on, but not everyone would reasonably be expected to anticipate that apple could simply add stuff to your itunes account without any prior warning.

 

[BoberFett]

really. Why is this in politics and news?

Corporate abuse!

KOCH BROTHERS!

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Yes, it is reasonable to expect that if you enable the setting, you might incur costs for automatic downloads of stuff *you* choose to buy. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that accepting automatic downloads of stuff you consciously buy would also include automatic downloads of stuff that Apple decided to add to your itunes. I'd be fine with automatic downloads of stuff I buy, but not fine with having an entire album of crap automatically downloaded to my phone because apple decided to do some promotion.

The difference is that one is initiated by you and the other isn't. Yes, it's obvious that you could incur costs with the automatic download set to on, but not everyone would reasonably be expected to anticipate that apple could simply add stuff to your itunes account without any prior warning.

Didn't really look at it from this angle but this I completely agree with. I have everything turned off because I know what I buy.

This is what made me finally delete the Facebook App as well. Auto-playing videos using up my data. Sure I could turn it off but fuck you FB for putting it in there to begin with.

 

[Moonbeam]

I need to shoot myself. I drove a car yesterday with a family member and listened to that album and rather liked a number of songs. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

 

[xBiffx]

I don't see anything in the TOS that covers Apple sending you things you never elected to purchase. The part you bolded simply mentions that there can be data charges for the things you did.

They elected for Apple to send them automatically. This isn't hidden, its in their iTunes library. Paying attention has its benefits.

 

[mikeymikec]

3) U2 made a buttload (that's a metric unit) of money off the deal.

I'm guessing you're American. If I'm right, haven't you committed some sort of act of treason in using a non-Imperial measurement?

Or is it OK because they're Irish and they earnt a buttload?

 

[xBiffx]

Yes, it is reasonable to expect that if you enable the setting, you might incur costs for automatic downloads of stuff *you* choose to buy. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that accepting automatic downloads of stuff you consciously buy would also include automatic downloads of stuff that Apple decided to add to your itunes. I'd be fine with automatic downloads of stuff I buy, but not fine with having an entire album of crap automatically downloaded to my phone because apple decided to do some promotion.

The difference is that one is initiated by you and the other isn't. Yes, it's obvious that you could incur costs with the automatic download set to on, but not everyone would reasonably be expected to anticipate that apple could simply add stuff to your itunes account without any prior warning.

The album is part of the iTunes library. It's not hidden. It can even be selected to not be included.

So they are OK with all the other gigabytes of songs, but just not these ones. Because just these ones become a data issue. That is their argument, really?

 

[Greenman]

Apple customers like what Apple tells them they like.