'Are You Dead?': Viral China's App For People Living Alone Built For Rs 13,000 Is Now Worth Rs 13 Crore

A mobile app with a stark name has unexpectedly become China’s most downloaded paid app, tapping into growing anxieties among people living alone. Called Are You Dead?, the app requires users to confirm they are alive by pressing a button once every two days. Failure to do so triggers an alert to a pre-selected emergency contact, warning that the user may be in distress.

Launched in May 2025, the app initially attracted little attention. It 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.”

In recent weeks downloads have surged, particularly among young urban residents living alone, taking it to the top of China’s paid app charts, BBC reported.

Very little is publicly known about the founders of Are You Dead?. They have said they are three people born after 1995 who developed the app in Zhengzhou, Henan, working with a small team.

Despite its simple functionality, the app’s valuation has risen sharply. According to BBC, one of the founders, identified as Mr Guo, told Chinese media that the team plans to raise funds by selling 10% of the company for one million yuan, which is around Rs 1.29 crore. This marks a significant jump from the reported development cost of just 1,000 yuan (around Rs 12,934), BBC reported.

The app appears to have come at a time when solo living is becoming increasingly common in China. Research institutions estimate that the number of one-person households could reach 200 million by 2030, according to Chinese state media outlet Global Times.

User responses to the app on Chinese social media reflect the factors driving adoption. “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,” one user wrote. Another said, “If I died alone, who would collect my body?”

For some, the app offers reassurance. Wilson Hou, who works in Beijing about 100 km away from his family, said the app addresses a personal fear. “I worry that if something happened to me, I could die alone… That's why I downloaded the app and set my mum as my emergency contact,” he said.

Some users have criticised the app’s name, calling it inauspicious, saying that registering for such a service could invite bad luck. Others have suggested renaming it with a softer tone, such as “Are you ok?” or “How are you?”. Moonscape Technologies, the company behind the app, has acknowledged the feedback and said it is considering a possible name change.

Internationally, the app is listed as Demumu. It ranks among the top two paid utility apps in the US, Singapore and Hong Kong, and in the top four in Australia and Spain, possibly driven by Chinese users living overseas.

Originally released as a free download, the app is now priced at 8 yuan (around Rs 104). The founders are also exploring ways to expand their audience, including the development of a product aimed at elderly users in China.