In brief
In China, the app 'Are You Dead?' has surged in popularity among young individuals living alone, requiring users to confirm their well-being every two days. Launched in May last year, it aims to prevent solitary deaths by notifying emergency contacts if users fail to check in. The app targets a demographic projected to grow, with up to 200 million single-person households anticipated by 2030. Despite some criticism over its name, the concept addresses widespread fears of unnoticed isolation and offers a safety net for many. Moonscape Technologies, the creators, are considering evolving the app's identity to resonate more positively while contemplating new features aimed at the elderly population.
A new bleak-sounding app has taken China by storm.
Named Are You Dead? the concept is simple. You need to check in with it every two days – clicking a large button – to confirm that you are alive. If not, it will get in touch with your appointed emergency contact and inform them that you may be in trouble.
It was launched in May last year to not much fanfare but attention around it has exploded in recent weeks with many young people, who live alone in Chinese cities, downloading it in droves.
This has propelled it to become the most downloaded paid app in the country.
According to research institutions, there may be up to 200 million one-person households in China by 2030, Chinese state media outlet Global Times reports.
And it's those people that the app - which describes itself as a 'safety company companion... whether you're a solo office worker, a student living away from home, or anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle' - is trying to target.
'People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations,' said one user on Chinese social media.
Wilson Hou, 38, who lives around 100km (62 miles) from his family, says that is exactly why he downloaded the app. 'I worry that if something happened to me, I could die alone in the place I rent and no one would know,' he said.
The app has now made its way into the paid category - albeit at the low price of 8 yuan ($1.15; £0.85). The company behind the app, Moonscape Technologies, is also exploring new products specifically designed for the elderly.
Despite some initial backlash regarding its grim name, the app continues to gain traction and possibly addresses deeper societal issues of loneliness and safety among the youth in urban China.
