China’s viral app ‘Are You Dead’ tops obtain chart and goes international, as critics name for title change | USAEMALL.com

A new Chinese mobile application, bluntly named Are You Dead, has gone viral in China, topping Apple’s App Store charts for paid apps there over the past weekend.

Priced at 8 yuan (about S$1.50), the app – which reads as Sileme in hanyu pinyin – is aimed at China’s rapidly expanding population of older residents and young singles who live alone.

It prompts users to check in once a day by pressing a large green button. 

If they fail to do so for more than two consecutive days, the app automatically notifies by email an emergency contact nominated by the user.

China’s English-language newspaper Global Times reported that the app downloads spiked in recent days and it has gone viral on Chinese social media, with many short videos discussing it.

The heated debate was over its controversial and morbid name rather than its function.

This stemmed from the common belief among the Chinese that using a product with such a grim and unpleasant name would bring ill luck and lead to the user’s death. 

Suggestions have emerged to rename it Are You Alive (Huozheme) or Are You Okay.

Global Times reported that a social media user surnamed Zhao from Sichuan province commented: “Death has both a literal and sociological meaning. If it were changed to ‘Are You Alive’, I would pay to download it.”

British news site BBC reported that the app was first launched in May last year by its developer Moonscape Technologies, but it drew widespread attention only in recent weeks.

It was developed for just over 1,000 yuan, The Standard news site from Hong Kong reported, adding that the team behind it are seriously considering a name change.

The app’s three young co-founders and creators from Henan, born after 1995, have described it as a “lightweight safety tool for solo dwellers”, rather than a medical or surveillance product.

Some users suggested improvements to the app, including adding features such as heart-rate monitoring and automatic alarm detection systems. 

An internet expert told the Global Times that the app addresses a genuine demand in the age of social networks, targeted towards the health and safety of China’s one-person households, and it is an issue that requires more attention.

One of the app’s creators, known as just Lyu, told the Financial Times that the app name was not intended to be “bad”. “It serves as a reminder for us to cherish the present,” he said.

The co-founders are said to be exploring the prospect of designing another app that is dedicated to older Chinese residents, The Telegraph reported.

In a recent statement, the company said: “We would like to call on more people to pay attention to the elderly who are living at home, to give them more care and understanding. They have dreams, strive to live and deserve to be seen, respected and protected.”