"Available for a one-time payment of the equivalent of $1.15 in US dollars, the app - with the evocative name of "Are You Dead?" - is basically a large countdown timer that you have to reset regularly, and which alerts an emergency contact if you let the time run out. As the BBC reports, the app's counter is set to two days by default. After downloading, a user simply has to open the app and tap a large button to reset it."
"Though the app launched in May of 2025, its popularity only exploded among young adults living in urban areas over recent weeks, becoming the most downloaded paid app in the People's Republic, the BBC found. While the app serves a practical - if morbid - purpose, it also seems to be scratching a somber cultural itch among young Chinese people."
A low-cost app called "Are You Dead?" uses a resettable two-day countdown that alerts a designated contact if a user fails to check in. Users must open the app and tap a large button to reset the timer; failure to check in sends an automatic text to an appointed friend or loved one. The app launched in May 2025 and recently surged among urban young adults, becoming the most downloaded paid app in China. Social media posts express fear of dying unnoticed and recommend the app for introverts, people with depression, the unemployed, and other vulnerable individuals. China's unmarried rate for 30-year-olds rose from 14.56 percent to 29.97 percent over the past decade.
Read at Futurism
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