Are You Dead? The viral app that has everyone talking

A new app has made its way to the top of China’s Apple store paid charts and not because it is cheerful. Are You Dead? - known in Chinese as Sile Me - asks users to check in daily by tapping a bright green button with a cartoon ghost. Miss two consecutive days and an emergency contact is alerted, providing a simple but potentially lifesaving safety net. Its stark name immediately grabs attention, but it is the practicality of the app that has captured the imagination of millions of its users. 

Launched last year as a free app, Sile Me has only recently surged in popularity, becoming the top paid app in China for 8 yuan (£0.85). Its international version, Demumu, is also trending in the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong, largely driven by Chinese users living abroad.  

The app’s bold, literal name has also sparked debate online. Some users worry it is unlucky, while others praise its dark humour. The founders, a small independent team of three young entrepreneurs from Zhengzhou are considering gentler alternatives such as ‘Are You Alive?’ or ‘Are You OK?’, while also expanding features for elderly users. 

The popularity of the app goes beyond novelty and highlights real social issues. Solo living is rising rapidly in China: single-person households now make up nearly 20% of all homes, up from 7.8% twenty years ago. Many young adults are delaying marriage, prioritising careers or struggling with the high cost of housing, childcare and education. Meanwhile, elderly citizens increasingly live alone, often with no family nearby to provide support.  

For these groups, anxiety over being isolated or unnoticed is common, particularly during emergencies or periods of illness. For them, Sile Me provides reassurance. It’s a digital lifeline - a small but meaningful sense of security.  

The app also highlights wider social and economic pressures. China’s declining birth rate, urban migration and changing family structures mean more people are living independently than ever before. These shifts create both practical and emotional isolation, making tools like Sile Me increasingly relevant. 

Part of the app’s success lies in its branding strategy. The morbid, attention-grabbing name shocks while the playful cartoon ghost softens the concept, making it more approachable and even a little humorous. This combination of seriousness and whimsy creates a strong, memorable identity that encourages conversation.  

The founders also cleverly referenced a popular food delivery app in the naming, making the concept feel culturally familiar and relatable. It is a reminder that bold branding combined with a genuine social purpose can turn even unsettling ideas into phenomena that resonate widely. 

Beyond branding, Sile Me also highlights a global trend: the growing role of technology in providing reassurance and human connection when physical proximity is lacking. China has embraced the app quickly, but will other countries follow suit? More broadly, it leaves us questioning whether we are heading toward a world that is lonelier than ever, and where digital tools are increasingly relied upon to fill the gaps once covered by human connection.