Are You Dead app alternative for people with pets
The viral “Are You Dead?” app asks once a day if you are okay. If you live alone with a pet, here is what differs.
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In January 2026 an app with a blunt name went viral: “Are You Dead?”. If you live alone with a dog or a cat, you may have wondered whether it fits you. This page explains what the app does, based on press reports, and where PawSafe differs. We have not tested the app ourselves.
What the Are You Dead app is
Sixth Tone reported on 13 January 2026 how it works: you enter emergency contacts and press a check in button each day. If you miss two check ins in a row, the app alerts your contacts by email. It climbed to the top of Apple’s paid app chart in China in early January. The team behind it is three founders, all born after 1995.
The Chinese name is Sileme. Al Jazeera reported on 14 January 2026 that the company introduced a subscription fee and would use the name Demumu for a global audience. Sixth Tone ties the attention to a trend: in 2023, one person households made up 17.8 percent of sampled households in China, citing the 2024 China Statistical Yearbook.
It is a simple idea, and a good one for people who want someone to notice if they go quiet.
Where a pet changes the question
A daily check in answers one question: has this person been in touch today? With a pet at home, three more questions come up.
- How fast does someone come? If an alert follows after missed days, your pet waits that long. A timer per absence can alert after hours.
- Who gets in? An alert to one contact helps if that person has a key and lives close. With several helpers asked one after another, someone near you can say “I’ll help”.
- What do they need to know? Where you live, how to get in, what your pet needs. PawSafe shows address and key note to a helper only in an emergency.
PawSafe as an alternative for people with pets
- You start the timer with one tap when your pet stays home alone. You choose a time between 30 minutes and 24 hours.
- If you don’t check in, PawSafe opens an emergency and alerts your helpers one after another.
- One helper taps “I’ll help”. You get a notification, and the others can stand down.
- Your wallet card and Medical ID note tell a finder that your pet is alone.
No account, no login, no email address. Helpers with PawSafe get alerts as free notifications. SMS and WhatsApp for helpers without the app come with an optional subscription.
The two compared
The Are You Dead column rests on press reports and may be out of date. PawSafe facts come from our own product.
| Feature | Are You Dead / Demumu | PawSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Idea | A daily check in for people who live alone | A timer for every absence in which your pet is alone |
| When it alerts | After missed daily check ins (two in a row, per Sixth Tone) | When the timer you set runs out and you don’t check in, from 30 minutes to 24 hours |
| Who is alerted | An emergency contact, by email (per Sixth Tone) | Your helpers, one after another, until one says “I’ll help” |
| Pets | Not mentioned in the reports we read | Pet profile, emergency card, key note |
| Address and key note | Not mentioned in the reports we read | Shown to a helper only in an emergency, after tapping to reveal |
| Best for | You, alone, every day | You and your pet, whenever your pet is home alone |
An honest limit: PawSafe covers the time your pet is alone, not every day of your life. PawSafe is made for iPhone. Helpers with Android are reached by SMS and WhatsApp. If you live alone and want a daily check in for yourself, a daily app does that job. Many people with pets will want both.
Common questions
What is the Are You Dead app?
A Chinese safety app for people who live alone, called Sileme in Chinese and Demumu abroad. You press a check in button each day. If you miss two check ins in a row, it alerts your emergency contact by email, according to Sixth Tone.
Is there an alternative for people with pets?
PawSafe is built for people who live with pets. It runs per absence with a timer and alerts your helpers one after another until one says “I’ll help”.
Can I use both?
Yes. A daily check in covers your own days. PawSafe covers the hours your pet is alone. They do different jobs.
Does PawSafe need an account?
No. There is no account, no login and no email address, for owners and helpers.
Is PawSafe free?
App notifications are free. SMS and WhatsApp for helpers without the app come with an optional subscription. The App Store shows the price before you buy. PawSafe is always free for helpers.
Keep reading
- Check in app for pet owners: what you need
- What happens to my pet if I go to hospital? A 5 step plan
- PawSafe: who checks on your pet if something happens to you?
Sources: Sixth Tone, China’s Viral New App Is a Safety Tool Called ‘Are You Dead?’ (13 January 2026). Al Jazeera, Chinese app ‘Are You Dead?’ to change name after surge in popularity (14 January 2026).