If something unexpected happened to you today, would anyone know right away?
That’s the simple question behind an app with a blunt name and a surprisingly thoughtful purpose. The app was originally called Are You Dead Yet? and it was created in China for people who live alone, travel solo, or just want a quiet safety net running in the background.
The idea is straightforward. The app checks in with you every couple of days. When a notification pops up, you tap the screen to confirm you’re okay. That’s it.
If you don’t respond after two reminders, the app assumes something might be wrong and sends an email to a trusted contact you’ve chosen, suggesting they check on you.
It’s important to be clear about what this app is and isn’t. It doesn’t call 911. It doesn’t alert emergency services. Instead, it notifies a real person in your life, someone who knows you and would actually notice if something seemed off.
Setting it up takes just a few seconds. You enter your name and the email address of the person you want notified.
Recently, the developer changed the app’s name from Are You Dead Yet? to Demumu, which is the name you’ll now see in the Apple App Store. The original name helped the app go viral, but the new name is meant to make it easier to find and share globally.
The success of the app has already inspired a wave of similar check-in apps, but Demumu keeps things intentionally simple. Most of the copycats that even play off the Demumu name require a subscription. The Demumu app is only 99 cents and does not require an account or a subscription.
No wearables. No tracking. Just a digital nudge that asks a very basic question. Remember to check in, and hopefully you’ll never need the backup plan at all.
Sometimes the best technology is the kind you hope you never have to use.
