The Flexcil team sincerely apologizes to all users who have experienced inconvenience due to server connection issues and various errors following our recent update, and to everyone who has been affected by this matter.
The update on August 25 was introduced to allow users to access their data across multiple devices, including PCs. To enable this, data that had previously been stored locally on individual devices needed to be synced to the cloud and tied to each user’s account. This is why the update prompted users to log in to their accounts upon first launch.
However, starting at around 4:40 PM on August 29, simultaneous user logins spiked, increasing traffic to 20 times the normal volume. This caused a bottleneck in the authentication server used during login. Between that time and 9:30 PM, when service was restored, approximately 12,000 users were unable to log in successfully. To make matters worse, despite our notice advising users not to delete the app, false rumors spread suggesting that reinstalling the app was necessary. This further amplified confusion, and unfortunately, some users who followed this misinformation lost data that cannot be recovered.
We are deeply saddened that many users lost, or feared losing, their valuable study data accumulated over a long period of time. The entire Flexcil team takes full responsibility for this incident. It has reminded us of the critical importance of communication and guidance to our users, and we will carry this lesson forward with greater accountability.
Since identifying the issue, we have been working around the clock, including weekends, to restore service and ease user inconvenience. On the day of the outage, we expanded server capacity twice, and in total carried out nine rounds of measures to resolve the server access issue. By September 1, we had completed an upgrade enabling our servers to handle 50 times the peak traffic volume experienced during the outage. We have also improved the login process to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Other issues, such as login conflicts and missing document lists within the app, have been monitored and addressed in sequence, and we continue to provide 1:1 support for device- or network-specific issues.
Flexcil was founded to make studying easier—so users wouldn’t need to carry heavy books or cut and paste notes to create review materials. That is why it is especially painful that we failed to protect the trust of our users who rely on Flexcil as a study companion. We understand the dedication and effort you put into your studies with Flexcil, and the fact that this trust was shaken has been devastating. We are committed to returning to the roots of our service, reflecting on why users chose Flexcil in the first place, and working tirelessly until we regain your trust and support.
As emphasized, all Flexcil employees are devoting their full effort to service stabilization and resolving user inconvenience. Going forward, we will not only strengthen app quality and server stability, but also enhance pre-release testing for scenarios such as large-scale synchronization and concentrated login attempts. We also plan to adopt staged rollouts for updates to prevent bottlenecks. Another key lesson from this incident is the importance of communication, and we will expand our communication channels. Beyond our blog, Help Center, and app store release notes, we will use all Flexcil SNS and community channels, and introduce in-app pop-up notifications for major changes to ensure all users are informed.
Alongside service recovery, we are also working on appropriate support measures for users who experienced inconvenience. We are consulting with legal advisors to discuss concrete support measures tailored to individual cases, and we are preparing to deliver these solutions as quickly as possible. We value the time you have invested with Flexcil and will do everything we can to provide clear guidance soon.
Once again, we deeply apologize to all users who were affected by Flexcil’s service outage. We will continue to listen closely to your voices and strive to be a trusted and reliable study companion.
If you are still experiencing issues, please refer to the links below:
For any other issues, please contact us at support@flexcil.com,
and we will provide assistance as quickly as possible.