( CNN ) -- Apple learned an important lesson this week : Not everyone likes U2 . And even those who do really do n't like it when you put music in their libraries without asking . A week after giving away a U2 album to most iTunes users , Apple has announced a way for customers to get rid of it . The company released instructions on how to delete the album from an iCloud account , complete with a giant `` Remove Album '' button . Somewhere , a single tear is rolling down Bono 's cheek . At the end of Apple 's iPhone and Apple Watch announcement last week , the company trotted out the rock supergroup to announce a major marketing collaboration . Is the Apple Watch a game changer ? Apple was giving away U2 's first new album in five years , `` Songs of Innocence , '' to 500 million iTunes customers for free . It was a clever way to get more people to sign up for iTunes , and Apple even produced a special ad to promote the collaboration . Unfortunately , instead of just offering customers the option to download the album for free , Apple went ahead and gave it to them without asking . The album was dropped into the 500 million active iCloud accounts in 119 countries . The people who have their iTunes account set up to automatically download any purchases saw the files on their computers and mobile devices . Many complained that the way the album was distributed was invasive . It also came off as tone-deaf , since it happened so soon after iCloud 's security was scrutinized for its part in high-profile celebrity photo hacks . Apple spent up to $ 100 million on the U2 marketing campaign , according to The New York Times .
Apple has posted instructions for deleting the free U2 album from an iCloud account . The company gave iTunes customers the album for free last week . Many people were unhappy that the files were added to their accounts without permission .