(Yicai) Jan. 14 -- The team behind China’s viral solo-living safety app Sileme, whose name translates as Are You Dead? and automatically alerts an emergency contact if a loved one fails to check in every 48 hours, plans to rebrand the app as it prepares for a global rollout.

After careful review, the app will be renamed Demumu in its next update, the developers announced yesterday. The team said the app will maintain its focus on safety while expanding its core services abroad to reach more people living alone.

Sileme was created by Moonscape Technologies, which was set up last March, and costs CNY8 (USD1.14). Because of its resonance with young people living alone and its provocative name, it has gone viral on social media and has topped the paid download charts for Chinese apps on the App Store for four straight days since last week.

The app was reportedly created by a three-person team for less than CNY1,500 (USD215). Following the viral surge, the developers said investors have shown strong interest, with the price of a 10 percent stake rising to nearly CNY10 million (USD1.4 million).

Despite its popularity, industry watchers caution that Sileme’s core technology is negligible and easy to replicate, limiting its potential for a long lifecycle and to create commercial value.

An app developer with 10 years of experience told Yicai that he could create a functionally similar app using Google’s AI tool Gemini in a single night, without manually writing any code. Most Sileme downloads are driven by novelty and memes rather than long-term utility, the person said, adding that mainstream apps such as WeChat could replicate the check-in functionality with a simple feature update.

Still, the developer noted that if the Sileme team can identify new value-added features and foster emotional connections with users, the app could extend its lifespan and move beyond being a fleeting viral sensation.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev