Uber Charges Higher Fare On iPhones? Founder Shares Interesting Experiment - See Post

Nirali Parekh, the Founder and Creative Director of Bokap Designs noted in a LinkedIn post that there is a severe discrepancy in fares that the Uber app charges for Android users vs the fares that the app charges for iPhone users.

In her post, she pointed out that the same pickup and drop locations in two different phone, that is, one Android phone and the other an Apple iPhone were priced at ₹290.79 and ₹342.47, respectively.

She added that the difference is far from accidental and she goes on to explain in her post why that is the case.

According to her this is prompted by three factors including user behaviour, platform fees as well as dynamic personalisation.

She writes, "iPhone users are often perceived as “premium customers”—data shows they’re more willing to pay higher prices."

"Apple charges up to 30% commission on in-app purchases, subtly influencing pricing decisions," Parekh adds.

Additionally, apps increasingly use dynamic pricing based on user behaviour and profiles. Therefore, the consumer's choice of device could impact what they are charged, she added.

This probes users to ask real questions like "When does personalisation improve user experience, and when does it start to feel exploitative?"

She concluded the post by asking the audience if businesses should be more transparent about their pricing strategies.