US Edition'Are You Dead?': The Viral Chinese App for Young People Living Alone
The app, targeting solo workers and students, has topped paid charts amid fears of unnoticed emergencies with up to 200 million one-person households expected by 2030.
- In recent weeks, the Are You Dead? app surged to the top of China's paid charts after its May launch last year and ranks highly abroad.
- Rising one-person households help explain the app's sudden popularity, with research institutions warning there may be up to 200 million one-person households by 2030, targeting solo office workers and students living away from home.
- The app moved from free to paid at 8 yuan domestically, with a $0.99 US price, built by three founders in Zhengzhou, who plan to sell 10% for one million yuan after spending 1,000 yuan .
- Facing criticism, Moonscape Technologies says it may change the app's name and is exploring a product for the elderly amid company value growth and public concern.
- Reflecting broader trends, the app highlights solitary living and demographic pressures with 300 million pensioners in China, prompting suggestions Apple might adapt its iOS Check In feature.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Loading a big button to prove you're alive. Application (pay) is a success, not among older people, but among young people living alone in China. "If I die, who collects my body?"
'Are You Dead' App Is a Smash Hit
In a country where more people than ever are living on their own, a bluntly named app is turning fears of dying alone into a booming business. The app, called "Are You Dead?" in China and "Demumu" internationally, asks users to tap a large confirmation button every day to signal...
An application suddenly jumped to the top of the download rankings raised the veil on the anxiety of the many Chinese - not only elderly - who find themselves living isolated in the big metropolis. Without confirmation of existence in life within 48 hours, the cell phone sends a signal to one contact. By 2030 there will be 200 million households in China composed of one person.
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