An app called “Are You Dead?” goes global as solo living goes mainstream in China

An app bluntly titled “Are You Dead?” has quietly turned into a global tech export, and a small mirror of how millions are choosing to live alone.

The app, known in Chinese as Sileme, a phrase that literally translates to “Are you dead?” has introduced a subscription fee and announced a global rebrand after going viral in China. Its new international name will be Demumu, the company said on Tuesday.

Sileme describes itself as “a lightweight safety tool” designed for people who live alone. The premise is simple and deliberately stark: users check in through the app, and if they fail to do so for several consecutive days, an emergency contact is automatically notified.

After surging to the top of Apple’s paid app charts this week, the company announced it would begin charging an 8-yuan ($1.15) subscription to help cover rising operating costs. On Apple’s App Store, the app currently costs 8 Hong Kong dollars (about $1.03) to download.

“After extensive consideration, the ‘Sileme’ app will officially adopt the global brand name ‘Demumu’ in its forthcoming new release,” the company said in a statement posted on Weibo.

The app’s sudden popularity has tapped into a deeper social shift. China is estimated to have up to 200 million one-person households, with more than 30 percent of people now living alone, according to the state-run Global Times. Rising housing costs, delayed marriage, changing attitudes toward family life and urban isolation have all fuelled the trend.

User reactions reflect that tension between tradition and reality.