Update BreakdownLead
HAEGIN Co., Ltd.'s version 2.29.1 update for Play Together: Friends & Party, released July 14, 2026, has introduced severe performance bugs, causing a sharp drop in user sentiment and the app's average rating.
Tropical Island EventRelease Summary
The v2.29.1 update was framed as a major seasonal content drop titled 'Welcome to the Tropical Island!'.[2] It introduced a substantial amount of new gameplay elements, including 60 types of 'Fruit Fish' and 15 varieties of 'Fruit Critters'.
A new minigame was also added, allowing players to earn an exclusive 'King Kong' pet. Official App Store release notes focused entirely on these new content additions, making no mention of any technical changes or underlying bug fixes.
A new minigame was also added, allowing players to earn an exclusive 'King Kong' pet. Official App Store release notes focused entirely on these new content additions, making no mention of any technical changes or underlying bug fixes.
Crashes and Currency BugBreaking Changes
Immediately after the update, users began reporting critical stability and economic issues. The most severe problems include frequent application crashes, prohibitively long loading times, and a bug that spends premium currencyVirtual currencies used within mobile games — typically a dual system with soft currency (earned through play) and hard currency (purchased with real money). without authorization. One 3-star review for v2.29.1 stated, "It keeps spending my gems even though I didn’t tell it to do that."
Another user on the same version wrote a 2-star review, saying, "I just got the game like 10 minutes ago and every time I go in it it kicks me out... then it takes way too long to load." These issues represent a new and serious regression in the app's playability.
Another user on the same version wrote a 2-star review, saying, "I just got the game like 10 minutes ago and every time I go in it it kicks me out... then it takes way too long to load." These issues represent a new and serious regression in the app's playability.
Rating PlummetsUser Reception
The user reception marks a stark contrast to the period before the update. While some reviews for version 2.29.0 noted occasional stability problems, the sentiment was largely positive. One 5-star reviewer on v2.29.0 wrote, "I love the game but it keeps kicking me out," but still awarded a high rating. After v2.29.1, the tone shifted dramatically.
The app's average rating fell by 0.73 stars, from 4.36 to 3.63, based on a comparison of 90 reviews before the update and 59 reviews after.[1] The publisher has offered generic replies to some negative reviews, stating, "We're working to optimize the game and minimize such occurrences in the future," but has not addressed the specific bugs publicly.
The app's average rating fell by 0.73 stars, from 4.36 to 3.63, based on a comparison of 90 reviews before the update and 59 reviews after.[1] The publisher has offered generic replies to some negative reviews, stating, "We're working to optimize the game and minimize such occurrences in the future," but has not addressed the specific bugs publicly.
Financial RiskRoot Cause
The root cause of the performance issues appears to be the large 'Tropical Island' content patch. The introduction of many new assets and game mechanics without sufficient quality assurance testing likely created the instability. The app's audience, with over 55,000 downloads in the last 30 days on the US iOS store alone, makes the impact of these bugs substantial.
The gem spending bug, in particular, poses a direct financial risk, as it could lead to user refund requests and a loss of trust in the game's in-app purchase system.
The gem spending bug, in particular, poses a direct financial risk, as it could lead to user refund requests and a loss of trust in the game's in-app purchase system.
Verdict and OutlookExpert Verdict
HAEGIN Co., Ltd. faces pressure to ship a hotfix for these critical issues. The gem spending bug is the most urgent problem; failure to address it transparently and offer restitution could cause long-term damage to the app's revenue and player trust.
The publisher's next steps will determine if this is a temporary disruption or the start of a more significant loss of its user base. Without a swift patch, player frustration is likely to escalate beyond the app store review sections.
The publisher's next steps will determine if this is a temporary disruption or the start of a more significant loss of its user base. Without a swift patch, player frustration is likely to escalate beyond the app store review sections.