U2, one of the most popular rock bands in the world, gave a new album for free to half a billion users of Apple's iTunes software. Not cool, some recipients said.

“Who is U2? And why do their songs keep popping up in my iPhone?” a Twitter user named Natalie said this week in one of a number of tweets compiled on Storify. “I’ve never bought their music.”

“Idk who put U2 on my iTunes but that is the worst prank imaginable,” tweeted another, Jessica Williams, using the abbreviation for “I don’t know.”

The album giveaway was announced earlier this week following Apple's unveiling of new iPhones and a wearable device called Apple Watch.

U2’s Songs of Innocence album, featuring 11 songs, is free to active iTunes account holders and those who sign up within five weeks, the company said then.

The album began appearing in users’ libraries within a day or so after it was announced. Depending on a user’s settings, “Songs of Innocence” could automatically download to some Apple devices, taking up valuable space.

For others, the album just appeared as available for download among a list of other records users had bought through iTunes. The mass distribution particularly irked youngsters who were unfamiliar with U2, a band formed in 1976 whose last album, No Line on the Horizon, came out five years ago.

“Nothing pisses off the audience more than pushing something they don’t want and didn’t ask for to their devices,” Bob Lefsetz, author of a music industry blog, wrote this week. “Even if you don’t download the album, it’s sitting there in your purchases, pissing you off.”

Is the music that bad? Depends on your perspective. Critic David Fricke of Rolling Stone gave it five stars, calling it “11 tracks of straightforward rapture about the life-saving joys of music.” Stereogum’s Tom Breihan was less enthralled, calling it “a muddled, inert, tired mess of an album.”

A number of websites reported yesterday that less than 5 per cent of iTunes account holders have willingly downloaded the new album.

It was reported that less than 200,000 active downloads had been made so far, according to Billboard. The group’s label has rejected this figure.

On U2’s website, lead singer Bono posted a message earlier this week about the distribution of the new album, saying it was part of the band’s DNA “to get our music to as many people as possible.”

“People who haven’t heard our music, or weren’t remotely interested, might play us for the first time because we’re in their library,” Bono wrote. “And for the people out there who have no interest in checking us out, look at it this way... the blood, sweat and tears of some Irish guys are in your junk mail.”

While some complained online about the free album, others praised it. “Thanks for the #gift what an awesome album, it’s on repeat in my car!!” said a Twitter user named Jason Steenkamp. Users who had auto-download turned on can delete the unwanted album if they want. It will remain among a list of purchased items, meaning it can be re-downloaded later.

Apple and U2 have a long history together, going back to the opening of the iTunes store in 2003.

“U2 has been an important part of Apple’s history in music and we’re thrilled to make ‘Songs of Innocence’ the largest album release ever,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, said in a statement this week.

“We get to share our love of music today by gifting this great new album to over half a billion iTunes customers around the world.”

Bloomberg