"Our Memories Are All Gone"... Couple Messenger 'Between' Faces Massive Data Deletion Disaster

Large-scale Photo and Video Deletion Incident
Compensation Measures Announced After the Fact
Lifetime Passes to Be Provided

Couple messenger app Between. Google Play Store

A major data deletion incident has occurred on the couple-exclusive messenger app "Between." The operator belatedly announced compensation measures, including a lifetime pass worth 1 million won and a full refund, in an effort to address the situation. However, the company’s inadequate initial response has only intensified user dissatisfaction.

On October 2, the installation and review page for "Between" on the Google Play Store was flooded with complaints from users. One user wrote, "I’ve been using the app for nearly 10 years, uploading photos, but suddenly my photos disappeared. After checking, I found that only the photos of non-membership users were deleted." The user continued, "Do I have to find this out on my own? Shouldn’t they notify us and offer proper compensation and an apology?"

Another user commented, "If you want to lose your precious memories and photos, use this app. They deleted all my photos for an absurd reason, issued a brief apology in a notice, and that’s it?"

Reviews left by Between users. Google Play Store

The anger was further fueled by the initial response from the operator, DLT Partners. In a notice on September 23, the company stated, "After the issue occurred, we mobilized all internal personnel, contacted Amazon Web Services (AWS) for emergency support, attempted recovery through resizing existing data and version recovery by region, and tried every possible method. Unfortunately, we have concluded that the deleted data cannot be recovered." The company also apologized, saying, "We feel deeply responsible for failing to protect your memories with your loved one."

However, the apology did not include any concrete compensation measures, leading many to call it a "half-hearted apology." In response, DLT Partners later decided to provide all affected customers with a Between Plus Couple lifetime pass worth 1 million won and more than 280 types of paid stickers.