Chinese app ‘Are You Dead?’ to change name after surge in popularity | News

The app, aimed at people with a ‘solitary lifestyle’, has gone viral in China.

The company behind the Are You Dead? ‍app, targeted at people living alone, has introduced a subscription fee and changed its name for a ⁠global audience after it went viral in China.

The app is called Sileme in Chinese, which translates to “Are you dead?” ​in English. It is “a lightweight safety tool” created for “anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle”, according to its development team. It requires setting up one emergency contact and sends automatic notifications if the ‍user has not ⁠checked in via the app for consecutive days.

Sileme said on its official Weibo platform on Tuesday that the company will launch the global brand name Demumu in its new version to be released soon.

“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.

The app surged to the top of Apple’s paid app chart this week.

On Sunday, the company said it ‌would launch an 8-yuan ($1.15) payment scheme to ⁠help cover increasing costs. On the App Store, it was charging 8 Hong Kong dollars (US$1.03) to download the app.

China is estimated to have up to 200 million one-person households with a solo living rate exceeding 30 percent, according to the state newspaper the Global Times.

“Maybe some conservative people can’t accept it,” one user said. “It will make us unmarried people feel more at ease to spend our lives.”