his refusal came on may 21st, although i should mention this was his second time applying for a SP.Paper applications will take longer time than online ones, don't worry, keep the faith.
I wanna ask, when your friend got refusal?
Also, did you check if your review of eligibility has started?
and yes, my review of eligibility and background check started right after i received the biometrics correspondence letter and the 'medical passed' update on 17th of may, hope this helps.