[Q] Changing from carrier specific to international. What to expect?

I'm considering flashing the international firmware. I have three reasons for doing so:

1. Carrier bloatware


2. Carrier firmware update latency (not always the case but not wanting to take the risk)


3. Some users have confirmed that "international" improved the battery life & speed.

I have several questions before flashing:

1. My phone was carrier locked but I got the unlock code; will the code still work?


2. Will I get notified for updates for the international version instead of the current version (thinking the answer is "yes" but need to be sure)?


3. Do I need to take into consideration something in particular for flashing?


4. Other?

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