Newscasts - 'Are you dead?' Chinese app for single living goes viral

Weibo

14/01/2026 16:42

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Source: 'Reuters - Business videos'

Description: An app called "Are you dead" targeted at people living alone has gone viral in China, with surging downloads and widespread commentary on social media, prompting the company to introduce a subscription fee and change its name for a global audience. Sean Hogan has more.

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Video Transcript:

It's a new app that's gone viral in China, making sure its users are still alive. The app called "Sileme" in Chinese, which translates to "Are you dead?", is targeted at people living alone or who live a solitary lifestyle. It sends automatic notifications to an emergency contact if the user has not checked in for consecutive days. Downloads have surged, prompting the company to introduce a subscription fee and change its name for a global audience. China may have up to 200 million one-person households, with a solo living rate exceeding 30%, state newspaper the Global Times said. Sileme said on its official Weibo account on Tuesday the company will launch globally under the name Demumu soon. It currently sits at number two on Apple's paid app chart after surging to the top earlier in the week. It said on Sunday it would launch a payment scheme to help cover increasing costs.