"The app, called "Si Le Me" (Chinese for "are you dead"), requires users to "check in" by pressing a button. If they fail to do so for two consecutive days, the app alerts an emergency contact. Designed for people living alone, "Si Le Me" has surged to become the most popular paid download on China's Apple App Store this week. It costs 8 yuan, or $1.15, to download.The app was launched in mid-2025, but its downloads only surged in early January,"
"Solo living is becoming increasingly common in China, among both young city dwellers and the growing population of old people living independently. China could have as many as 200 million one-person households by 2030, with more than 30% of people living alone, according to projections published in 2021 by Beike Research Institute, a real-estate research firm. A government survey in 2021 found that nearly 60% of Chinese age 60 and above lived alone or only with a spouse, up about 10 percentage points from 2010."
"One of the app's creators told Chinese media the idea grew out of online conversations about safety and isolation among people living alone. The three co-creators were all born in the mid-1990s. A wave of online debate about loneliness The app's sudden rise has sparked a wave of discussion on Chinese social media, with users interpreting its popularity as a symptom of deeper loneliness."
The app Si Le Me asks users to "check in" by pressing a button and alerts a designated emergency contact after two missed check-ins. The download costs 8 yuan and surged to become the top paid app on China's Apple App Store after rising in early January following a mid-2025 launch. The app's blunt name and function have provoked conversations about loneliness and the risks of living alone. Solo living is rising across age groups in China, with projections of up to 200 million one-person households by 2030 and a 2021 survey finding nearly 60% of those aged 60+ lived alone or only with a spouse.
Read at Business Insider
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