Delhi, April 14: Uber may be charging users more if their phone's battery is critically low, a new report has claimed. While earlier reports had indicated about difference in fares while booking using iOS and Android phones, this claim is shocking. Uber has however, disputed the claims saying that the app is unable to measure a user's battery.

According to a report in Belgian newspaper Derniere Heure, the ride-hailing application changed its pricing for customers in Brussels based on their battery percentage. Infosys Cut Hiring by 46% in Fiscal Year 2023, Reduces Headcount by 3,611 Employees While Resisting Layoffs.

The newspaper researched by hailing a taxi from their Brussels office to Tour & Taxis in the city core with two iPhones, one with an 84% battery and the other with a 12% battery. The outcome revealed a notable price discrepancy, with the smartphone with 12 per cent battery being charged 17.56 euros (Rs 1,585) and the phone with 84 per cent battery being charged 16.6 euros (Rs 1498) for the same trip. Discord Cyber-Security Threat: Researchers Warn New Malware in Popular Chatting Platform Can Steal Users' Data.

Uber however has rejected the claims. The company said that the app cannot determine the battery level of a user's phone. "Uber does not take into account the phone's battery level to calculate the price of a trip," the newspaper quoted Uber as saying. The San Francisco-headquartered company added that dynamic pricing is applied based on the current demand for rides and the availability of drivers who can accept the ride request.

This is not the first time the ride app has been accused of taking advantage of its users’ battery life. In a 2016 interview with NPR, Uber's former Head of Economic Research, Keith Chen, stated that the business had discovered that users with lower battery levels were more open to surge pricing. However, he denied that the company was using battery levels to increase prices.

Several experts have however raised concerns as to why the company was monitoring battery life at all.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2023 04:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).