Six days after it began offering U2's latest album "Songs of Innocence" for free to 500 million iTunes customers, Apple has announced (via the Associated Press) that over 33 million customers have accessed the record.

u2-apple
In a statement, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software and Services Eddy Cue called the numbers record-breaking, and said that the numbers include users who downloaded the album from their iTunes account, streamed it, or used iTunes Radio to listen to it.

Earlier this morning, Apple also released a tool for customers to delete the U2 album off of their iTunes accounts, as some users were upset with it being added to their devices without their knowledge.

Last Friday, it was reported that Songs of Innocence was downloaded 2 million times after three days of being made available. The album will be free for iTunes customers until October 13.

Top Rated Comments

dannys1 Avatar
140 months ago
I want to know how many used the tool to banish it from their iTunes account forever like me...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macs4nw Avatar
140 months ago
Contrary to a lot of negative comments in the last week, by October 13, this album will reside on more storage/iTunes devices, than U2 could have ever dreamt to have albums downloaded thru the iTunes Store, the old fashioned way, in addition to streaming, etc.

U2 got the deal of a lifetime out of this. I know I'm probably in the minority here but, Thanks Tim!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fitshaced Avatar
140 months ago
for whom tho? U2 i can get but Apple? When i saw how much Apple paid U2 i was shocked as i thought U2 would be the one having to pay apple to use their platform as promotion

For both, obviously. People using iTunes and iTunes Radio more. When more and more people are using Spotify, Pandora etc, this is a
Clever way to bring some of that back.

Also, it's a free album that comes with no catch. Other companies might have expected you to sign up for some spam or an opt out subscription.

Don't be fooled by the U2 haters. There are plenty if U2 fans that want this album and plenty of closet U2 fans.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fitshaced Avatar
140 months ago
People failing to see how successful this promotion was is laughable. That's U2 laughing all the way to the bank.

Also, fantastic album. California (There is no end to love) is a superb track.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
140 months ago
I wonder if U2 had any inspiration for the album cover ...

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
140 months ago
"Accessed" it as in the same way Siri gets used so much because half the time its people hitting the siri button on their keyboard by mistake in the middle of class? :P
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

No iOS 19: Apple Going Straight to iOS 26

Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:56 am PDT by
With the design overhaul that's coming this year, Apple plans to rename all of its operating systems, reports Bloomberg. Going forward, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS will be identified by year, rather than by version number. We're not going to be getting iOS 19, we're getting iOS 26. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. iOS 26 will be accompanied by...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday May 27, 2025 9:10 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of May 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X ...
28 years later iphone 1

Filmmakers Used 20 iPhones at Once to Shoot '28 Years Later'

Friday May 30, 2025 7:27 am PDT by
Sony today provided a closer look at the iPhone rigs used to shoot the upcoming post-apocalyptic British horror movie "28 Years Later" (via IGN). With a budget of $75 million, Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later will become the first major blockbuster movie to be shot on iPhone. 28 Years Later is the sequel to "28 Days Later" (2002) and "28 Weeks Later" (2007), which depict the aftermath of a...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Display Sizes: What to Expect

Thursday May 29, 2025 11:38 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup will include four iPhones, and two of those are going to get all-new display sizes. There's the iPhone 17 Air, which we've heard about several times, but the standard iPhone 17 is also going to have a different display size. We've heard a bit about the updated size before, but with most rumors focusing on the iPhone 17 Air, it's easy to forget. Display analyst Ross...
macOS 26 visionOS Inspired Feature

macOS 26 Rumored to Drop Support for These Five Macs

Thursday May 29, 2025 5:31 am PDT by
The next major version of macOS, now dubbed "macOS 26," is rumored to drop support for several older Intel-based Mac models currently compatible with macOS Sequoia. According to individuals familiar with the matter cited by AppleInsider, the following Macs will not be supported by the next version of macOS: MacBook Pro (2018) iMac (2019) iMac Pro (2017) Mac mini (2018) MacB...
iOS 26 Mock Rainbow Feature

With iOS 18 Jumping to iOS 26, Will Apple Renumber iPhones Too?

Thursday May 29, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
With the next-generation version of iOS and other 2025 software updates, Apple is planning to change its numbering scheme. Rather than iOS 19, which would logically follow iOS 18, Apple is instead going to call the update iOS 26. Apple plans to use 26 across all of its platforms (the number representing the upcoming year), which will presumably be less confusing than having iOS 19, macOS 16,...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

6 visionOS-Inspired Design Elements Coming to iOS 26

Friday May 30, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
With iOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26, Apple is planning to debut a new design that's been described as taking inspiration from visionOS, the newest operating system. With WWDC coming up soon, we thought we'd take a closer look at visionOS and some of the design details that Apple might adopt based on current rumors and leaked information. 1. Translucency Inside Apple, the iOS 26...
iphone 16 teal

iPhone 17 Base Model Now Said to Feature A18 Chip and 8GB of RAM

Friday May 30, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
The latest rumored specs for the iPhone 17 base model are underwhelming. In a research note with equity research firm GF Securities this month, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said that the lowest-end iPhone 17 model will be equipped with the same A18 chip that is used in the iPhone 16 base model. The chip will continue to be manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, known as N3E, he...