Chinese Safety App Sileme Tops Charts, Rebrands to Demumu
Viral safety app for China's 200M solo dwellers rebrands from 'Are You Dead?' to Demumu after topping paid charts, signaling cultural adaptation for global expansion.
Chinese safety app Sileme reached number one on Apple's China paid app charts this week, eight months after launching as a free service, prompting its three post-1995 founders to announce a global rebrand to Demumu on January 14.
Viral Success Drives Monetization Shift
The app, whose Chinese name translates to "Are you dead?" in English, introduced an eight yuan (~US$1.15) monthly subscription in late 2025 after unexpected user growth strained server costs. The lightweight safety tool requires users to set one emergency contact and sends automatic notifications if they haven't checked in for 48 consecutive hours.
"Thanks to all netizens for their enthusiastic support. We were originally just an unknown small team, co-founded and operated independently by three born after 1995," the Sileme development team said on Weibo Tuesday. The team announced that "after extensive consideration, the 'Sileme' app will officially adopt the global brand name 'Demumu' in its forthcoming new release."
The app's rise reflects demand from China's growing solo-living population. State newspaper Global Times reported that China may have up to 200 million one-person households, with a solo living rate exceeding 30%. The app describes itself as a tool "created for solo dwellers" from students to office workers or "anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle."
Cultural Sensitivity Drives Name Change
The rebrand addresses concerns about international market reception of the original name's blunt translation. While the Chinese name resonated with young urbanites seeking relatable dark humor, the direct English translation "Are you dead?" posed challenges for global expansion.
Netizens on Weibo debated the name change, with many calling on Sileme to keep its original branding. Others suggested alternatives including "Are you alive," "Are you online," or "Are you there." One user acknowledged the cultural divide: "Maybe some conservative people can't accept it, but it is helpful for safety purposes. It will make us unmarried people feel more at ease to spend our lives."
The app currently ranks number two on Apple's paid app chart under the Demumu name after hitting the top spot earlier this week. Media coverage from BBC, AFP, and regional outlets drove widespread social media commentary that accelerated downloads.
Solo Living Trends Fuel Safety Tech Demand
China's demographic shifts created the market conditions for Sileme's viral success. Twenty percent of Chinese households were single-person in 2024, driven by urbanization, delayed marriages, and shrinking family units. The app maintains core safety check-in features without GPS tracking, appealing to privacy-conscious users.
The startup's rapid pivot from free viral product to paid subscription within eight months demonstrates agile monetization strategies among Asian tech companies navigating explosive growth. The team has not confirmed specific Asia-Pacific expansion plans despite the global rebranding effort, focusing instead on maintaining functionality that addresses universal safety needs for solo dwellers.
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