It rose to the top of paid app rankings on Apple's App Store in China, prompting widespread media coverage among Chinese and foreign press.

The app, whose name "Sileme" in Mandarin translates to "are you dead?", allows people living alone to register the name and email address of someone to contact in an emergency.

If the user does not check in regularly on the app, the system automatically sends an alert to the emergency contact warning them of a possible problem.

"After extensive consideration, the 'Sileme' app will officially adopt the global brand name 'Demumu' in its forthcoming new release," the company said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

It said the app has "experienced explosive growth overseas" since the publication of an article by British broadcaster BBC. Other foreign media outlets, including AFP, also covered the app's success.

"Demumu" was already the name of the international version of the app, and "Are You Dead?" the Chinese version's.

"Moving forward, Demumu will remain steadfast in its founding mission of safeguarding safety, bringing China-originated protection solutions to the world and serving more solitary individuals globally," the company's statement added.

Users expressed surprise online at the change rebranding, although its blunt name had divided public opinion.

"Don't you think your virality is precisely due to your name? Without it, no one would have installed this app, except in cases of absolute emergency," said one Weibo user.

"With this new name, it loses its flavour," another added.

The name "sileme" was a play on the name of a popular food delivery app "Eleme".

In 2024, people who lived alone accounted for around one fifth of all Chinese households, compared to 15 percent a decade earlier, official data shows.

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