In January, an app bluntly called Are You Dead? briefly shot to the top of China ’s paid-app charts. It offered a service both grim and darkly amusing. Users have to tap a button every day to prove they are still alive. If a user fails to check in for 48 hours, an emergency contact gets an alert. Essentially, it is a defense against dying alone. The app is tapping into a growing market. Nearly 20 percent of China’s population lived in single-person households in 2024, according to official