“Are you dead?” That’s the question a viral app has been trying to ask people who are living alone in China.
The app is called Sileme in Chinese, which translates to “Are you dead?” in English, and it has surged in downloads online, Reuters reported.
It’s “a lightweight safety tool created for solo dwellers” from students, to solo officer workers or “anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle,” according to its development team, the outlet said.
The name Sileme is a play on a popular Chinese app for ordering food called Eleme, which translates to “Are you hungry?”, as reported by The Guardian.
On the “Are you dead?” app, the user must set up one emergency contact, and the app sends automatic notifications to that person if the user hasn’t checked in through the app for consecutive days.
In China, there may be up to 200 million one-person households, with a solo living rate exceeding 30%, state newspaper the Global Times said, according to Reuters.
Following its rise in popularity, the company is introducing a subscription fee and changing its name so it’s more suited to a global audience.
The new name is “Demumu,” a coinage using de from the word “death” and adding mumu for “a friendlier feel,” CNN reported, citing an interview in the Chinese press.
“Thanks to all netizens for their enthusiastic support. We were originally just an unknown small team, co-founded and operated independently by three born after 1995,” the company said.
On Apple’s app store, “Demumuu Pro: Are you alive” can be purchased for 99 cents. The description reads “Are you dead? Safety check-in.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the app is ranked No. 7 in paid apps available on the Apple app store.
