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Viral Chinese App ‘Are You Dead?’ Tops iOS Paid Chart as Loneliness Debate Grows

A minimalist 8-yuan iOS tool emails an emergency contact if a user goes inactive for two days.

Overview

  • The app asks solitary users to complete a daily check-in and, after two days without activity, triggers an email alert on the third day to a designated contact.
  • It is available only on iOS, costs 8 yuan (about $1.10), and uses a deliberately basic design centered on check-ins and email notifications.
  • Users and commentators on Weibo question its reliance on manual check-ins and email, warning that alerts could arrive too late and noting fatigue from daily logging.
  • Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin said the app could help elderly people who live alone and suggested a softer name, and the app’s account said it would seriously consider a change.
  • The surge of interest ties to China’s rise in single-person households—over 92 million today with estimates of 150–200 million by 2030—and the case has figured in Taiwan’s legislative discussions on digital social care.