highlights
There are many social media posts claiming that the price of some apps increases when you purchase something using your iPhone.
But is the iPhone tax real, or is the noise limited to social media posts?
To find out, we decided to compare Android and iPhone prices for seven commonly used apps: Uber, Ola, Myntra, Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, and Amazon.
The debate between Android and iPhone users has always centered around features, performance, and brand loyalty. But things seem to be changing. There are question marks over how app aggregators charge different groups of users. There are many social media posts claiming that the price of some apps increases when you purchase something using your iPhone.
But is the iPhone tax real, or is the noise limited to just social media posts? To find out, here are 7 popular ones from Uber, Ola, Myntra, Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit and Amazon We decided to compare the prices of Android and iPhone for commonly used apps.
How was the comparison made?
To ensure a fair evaluation, we used one Android smartphone and one iPhone. For each app, we selected the same item or service by noting the price shown on both devices. Comparisons include:
Uber and Ola: Prices for rides on the same route at the same time. Myntra: Clothing Prices. Zomato and Swiggy: Cost of same food from same restaurant. Blinkit: Grocery prices. Amazon: Household Goods Prices.
Android and iPhone price comparison
Uber and Ola
For ride-hailing apps, we looked at the cost of a ride from Times Now’s office to Spectrum Metro Mall.
For Uber, it was 229.99 rupees on Android and 229.94 rupees on iPhone. On Ola, the same route cost Rs 156 on Android and Rs 157 on iPhone.
Obviously, the margin in this case can be ignored.
Myntra
H&M Men’s T-Shirt: Rs 799 for both Android and iPhone. Uptownie Dress: $2,449 for both Android and iPhone.
Again, there was no difference in price between either platform.
zomato and swiggy
Veg Kukure Momos by Chanda Food: Rs 190 for both food apps on your device. Butter Jain Pav Bhaji by Rajendra Bombay Pav Bhaji: Rs 160 on both platforms of the device.
blink kit
I selected my groceries on Blinkit.
Red Potato (Aloo) 1kg: Rs 55 for both Android and iPhone. India Gate Mogra Basmati Rice (Broken) 5kg: Rs 357 on both Android and iPhone.
Amazon
Foldable Fabric Drying Stand by Synergy: $2,352 for both Android and iPhone. DSH Crafting Your Curiosity Metal Wall Decor Wall Hanging: Rs 1,799 for both Android and iPhone.
Bottom line: Does your device have an impact on price?
A comparison shows that there is no price difference between most Android and iPhone products and services. Apps like Uber and Ola did see some variation in ride prices, but these differences were small and likely due to real-time factors rather than device bias.
So far, it seems like the price you pay for these apps is the same whether you’re on the Android or iPhone teams. So the next time someone debates Android vs. iPhone, you can confidently say, “When it comes to app prices, it’s a tie.”
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Ayushi Jain
Technology news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for technology and gaming, I bring you the latest in both worlds. View full profile
