A new and rather gloomy iPhone app called “Are You Dead?” it went viral because it directly addresses a real fear: that someone can die without anyone noticing. The concept is extremely simple: the user has to press a big green button every two days to confirm that he is alive. If it doesn’t, the app automatically notifies a pre-selected emergency contact that something might be wrong. No health monitoring, no sensors, just a digital question – “are you alive?”.
The application is paid and is also available under the name “Demumu”. According to the BBC, it is especially popular among young people who live alone in big Chinese cities, often far from their families. With an estimated 200 million single-person households in China by 2030, the fear of dying alone has turned the app into a cultural phenomenon.
Android already has a less annoying solution
Android AuthorityAlthough “Are You Dead?” seems like something new, Android users already have very similar and often more advanced solutions. On Android phones, the Google Personal Safety app is available, which includes the Safety Check function. It allows you to set a timer for answering, so if the user does not confirm that it is safe, the phone automatically shares the location and sends an alert to emergency contacts. The advantage is that no additional application is needed, because the function is already part of the Android system.
The limitation of the Safety Check option is that it does not support automatic repetition but must be manually activated each time. In the app “Are You Dead?” it is enough to set the rules once, without constantly turning them on again.
In addition, there are other applications on Android, such as Snug Safety or Life360, which also send alerts if the user misses a scheduled appointment. The difference is primarily in the tone, while the iOS application openly plays the card of fear, Android tools have been doing the same job for a long time, but with a much milder and less intrusive approach.