The Are You Dead app on Android: what it is and what to use instead
In January 2026, a small Chinese app called "Are You Dead?" went to the top of the paid app charts in China, and near the top of the paid utility charts in the US, Singapore and Spain. People who live alone wanted a simple way to make sure that somebody would notice if something happened to them.
If you are looking for it on Android, here is what the app does, why it caught on, and what to use instead.
What the Are You Dead app does
You tap a button in the app at least once every two days. If you miss two days, the app sends an email to one emergency contact. That is all.
Three young founders built it for about $150. It was renamed Demumu on 13 January 2026, and it was removed from the Chinese App Store on 15 January (Wikipedia). It was built for Apple's App Store. Apps on Google Play with the same name come from other makers.
Why so many people wanted it
The fear behind it is real: "If something happens to me, nobody would know for days." In the EU, 1 in 3 people over 65 lives alone (Eurostat, 2025), and many younger people live alone too. The stories about the app were mostly about young people living by themselves, not older parents.
The catch with a check-in tap
- You have to remember. A daily or two-day tap is easy to forget, and many people stop within a week.
- The delay is long. If you fall right after a tap, nobody hears for two days.
- One contact, by email. If that person misses the email, nobody else knows.
- Somebody has to agree to be the contact. Many people living alone do not want to make a friend feel responsible.
What to use on Android instead
A daily check-in app
Snug Safety, on Google Play, works like Are You Dead: a tap once a day, and a message to your contacts if you miss it.
Good: Simple, and free to start.
Watch out: The same catch: you have to remember the tap every day.
Google Safety Check
Part of Google's Personal Safety app. You set a timer for one activity, like a walk home or a run. If you do not answer when it ends, your contacts get your live location.
Good: Free, and made by Google.
Watch out: It is for one activity at a time, not for every day, and it shares your location.
An app that reads normal phone use
Your phone already shows that you are up and about: the first unlock in the morning, the charger, the battery. An app can share this with the people you choose, and tell them when your phone goes quiet for too long.
Good: There is nothing to tap, and nothing to remember.
Watch out: It tells people that the phone is used, not how you feel. It calls no one for you.
AmiFam: Are You Dead without the tap
AmiFam is an Android app of the last kind. You choose what to share with the people you add:
- The first unlock in the morning, so they see that you started the day
- When the charger is plugged in or unplugged
- When the battery is low
- When the phone turns off or on
- A manual check-in with one tap, if you want to say hello
They can get a notification when your phone is not used for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours during your day. You choose the hours of your day, so the night does not count. Add as many people as you like, so it never rests on one friend.
AmiFam is for anyone: someone who lives alone, a parent, a friend abroad. Anyone can share, watch, or both. It never shares your location, messages, calls, contacts, photos or the apps you use, and it has a kinder name.
AmiFam does not call emergency services. It tells the people you chose, and they decide what to do.
Try AmiFam
AmiFam is in early access on Google Play. Send us an email and we help you set it up with the people you choose. See how AmiFam works.