A new app launched in China has experienced explosive growth and is gaining popularity in the rest of the world as well

A new app with a dark name has taken China by storm. Called “Are You Dead?” (“Are you dead?”), the app has a simple concept: you have to check in every other day by pressing a big button to confirm that you're alive. For those who don't, the app will contact their emergency contact and let them know their loved one may be in danger, the BBC reports.

The app was launched in May last year without much fanfare, but the attention surrounding it has exploded in recent weeks, with many young people living alone in Chinese cities downloading it en masse.

This has propelled it to the top spot in the list of the most downloaded paid apps in the world's second largest economy.

Research institutes in China estimate that by 2030 there could be as many as 200 million one-person households in the Asian country.

And it's exactly these people that the app – which describes itself as “a safety companion for company… whether you're an office worker living alone, a student living away from home or anyone who chooses a solitary lifestyle” is aimed at.

What are Chinese people who downloaded the app “Are you dead?” saying?

“People who live alone, no matter what stage of life they are in, need something like this, as do introverts, those suffering from depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations,” wrote one user on Chinese social media.

“There is a fear that people who live alone could die without anyone noticing, without anyone to call for help. Sometimes I wonder: if I died alone, who would pick up my body?” said another.

Wilson Hou, 38, who lives about 100km from his family, says that's exactly why he downloaded the app.

He works in the capital Beijing and returns home to his wife and child twice a week. But the man says he currently has to stay away from them to work on a project and mostly sleeps at work.

“I'm worried that if something were to happen to me, I could die alone in the house I'm renting and no one would know,” he explained to the BBC. He stated that he was among those who downloaded the app very quickly after its launch, fearing that it might be banned due to the negative connotations of the name.

Some were quick to criticize the app's not-so-cheerful name, saying that signing up for it could bring bad luck. Others called for it to be changed to something more positive, like “Are you okay?” or “How are you?”.

While the app's success is at least partly due to its catchy name, the company behind it, Moonscape Technologies, said it is taking criticism of the current name into account and is weighing the possibility of a change.

The app's popularity is expanding to the rest of the world

The app, listed internationally as Demumu, is in the top two most downloaded paid utility apps in the US, Singapore and Hong Kong, and in the top four in Australia and Spain, possibly thanks to Chinese users living abroad.

The current name is a play on words inspired by a highly successful food delivery app called “Are You Hungry?” (“Are you hungry?”). Originally launched as a free app, it has now moved into the paid app category – albeit at a low price of 8 yuan ($1.15).

About the creators of Are You Dead? very little is known, but they say that there are three people born after 1995 who developed the app with a small team in Zhengzhou city and that they did it with only 1,000 yuan ($140).

They told Chinese media they wanted to expand their target audience, saying they were exploring the idea of ​​a new product designed specifically for the elderly in a country where more than a fifth of the population is over 60.