What is China’s ‘Are you dead’ app and why is it going viral? Here’s how the platform works

There’s a new app in China that everyone is talking about. This app, called “Are You Dead”, was designed to check on people who lived alone and instantly went viral, attracting tons of downloads and widespread chatter on social media.

This sudden popularity prompted the app’s creator to implement a subscription fee and rebrand the app with a new name to make it more suitable for users outside of China in preparation for a global audience.

Chinese for “Are you dead?” Digital platform called Selim which means. In English, it is described by its developers as a lightweight security tool created for loners such as students, office workers or anyone who chooses a solitary lifestyle.

The application, which was launched in May last year, only started to attract attention in recent weeks when many young people living alone in Chinese cities downloaded the application en masse.

This made it the most downloaded paid app in the country.

How does the application work?

The app works by asking users to set up a single emergency contact and automatically notifies that person if the user fails to check the app for several days in a row.

This process helps ensure that someone is notified if the user encounters any problems or something goes wrong.

The company also notified subscribers on Sunday that it would introduce an eight yuan ($1.15) payment plan to help cover rising costs. The app is already available on Apple’s app store under the name ‘Demumu’ and charges users HK$8 to download the app.

The practice is gaining increasing traction in China as the country is home to a large number of single residents. State newspaper Global Times said there may be as many as 200 million single-person households in China and the rate of living alone may exceed 30%.

‘Are you dead’ application given a new name

Sileme said on its official Weibo account on Tuesday that the company will soon launch its new version of its global brand name, Demumu.

After rising to the top earlier in the week, it’s now called Demumu on Apple’s paid app list and is currently ranked second.

Sileme said, “We thank all netizens for their enthusiastic support. We were originally just an unknown small team, jointly founded and independently managed by three people born after 1995.” Reuters.

Netizens on different social media platforms, including Weibo, called on Selim not to change the name of the app, while others asked “Are you alive”, “Are you online” or “Are you there?” He suggested options such as.

“Maybe some conservative people can’t accept this,” one user said, adding that the platform is useful for security purposes, especially for unmarried people who can feel more comfortable using the app.