‘Are You Dead?’ app goes viral in China! Miss one tap, emergency contact gets alert

Although the app, titled “Are You Dead?”, was launched in May last year, it has surged in popularity only recently.

Known as “Sileme” in Chinese, the app features a large button that users are required to tap once every 48 hours to confirm their safety.

If a user fails to check in, the app automatically contacts the person’s designated emergency contact, alerting them that the user may be in trouble.

The app has since emerged as the most downloaded paid app in China.

Its blunt name and minimalist design have sparked widespread discussion on urban isolation and personal safety in modern China, where the number of people living alone is rapidly increasing.

Owing to its popularity and growing international interest, the developers have announced plans to rebrand the app as “Demumu” for global users.

Reacting to the app’s viral success, some netizens wrote on Chinese social media, as quoted by Global Times, “The reason you went viral was your original name,” while another commented, “Here comes another short, repeated-letter name — are you taking cues from Labubu?”