Three years ago this month Patently Apple posted a report titled "The National Corporation of Consumers and users of Chile have filed a $5 Billion Class Action against Apple for slowing iPhones." We're now learning that Apple has agreed to pay Chilean consumers $3.4 million to settle that class action, the first such settlement in Latin America, According to Barron's.

Apple was accused of having programmed a limited lifespan into some products to force users to replace their phones sooner than necessary, and has previously settled similar cases in the United States and Europe.

In March 2020, Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over slowed iPhones in the United States, followed in November by another $113 million to settle litigation with more than 30 US states over the same issue.

The company has also settled a case with France's consumer watchdog for 25 million euros ($29.7 million) for failing to tell iPhone users that software updates could slow older devices.

Italy, for its part, has fined Apple and Samsung 10 and five million euros respectively for planned smartphone obsolescence.

In Chile, some 150,000 users of the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus and SE sued Apple and each client stands to get maximum compensation of $50, which is to be shared if there are more than one claim per serial number, as in the case of second-hand phones. For more, read the full Barron's report.