HN Showcase
Back to browse
I built the US version of "Are You Dead?", China's viral check-in app

I built the US version of "Are You Dead?", China's viral check-in app

by maxtermed·Feb 26, 2026·3 points·0 comments
Visit ProjectView on HN

AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemNiche Gem

Smart 48-hour window and instant SOS beats the Chinese original, but market is tiny.

Strengths
  • •Instant emergency alert button is genuinely smarter than waiting for silence to trigger.
  • •SMS-first approach fits US emergency contact patterns better than rigid Chinese app.
  • •Clean, focused feature set—no bloat, transparent pricing at $12.99/year.
Weaknesses
  • •iOS-only significantly limits addressable market (40M solo households, but only ~30% iOS).
  • •Viral narrative depends on niche audience—100x smaller than Sile Me's 200M solo households in China.
Category
Health
Target Audience

People living alone, elderly individuals, solo travelers, college students

Similar To

Sile Me (Are You Dead?) · Life360 · Apple Health emergency contact features

Post Description

In January, a Chinese app called Sile Me ("Are You Dead?") went to #1 paid app on China's Apple App Store. One button. Tap it daily to say you're alive. Miss two days — your emergency contact gets an email. It went viral because 200M Chinese people live alone and finally had a tool that acknowledged the obvious risk.

The US has 40 million solo households — 29% of all households, an all-time high. And no good equivalent.

So I built one. Key differences: SMS instead of email, a 48-hour window instead of rigid schedules, and an Emergency Alert button — one tap, immediate text to your contact. Right now, not after two days of silence.

Tech stack: Expo/React Native, Python/FastAPI, RevenueCat for IAP. iPhone only for now.

The full story: https://imalivetoday.com/demumu-app-us

Similar Projects