Does carrier matter for A1687/1688 when paid in full from Apple?

[Silver Idaten]

I know the phone is unlocked when paid in full from Apple, but what about if you need to get a replacement later on down the road? Is there a chance an unlocked phone could be replaced with a locked one by the Genius Bar? Would it be in the system as the carrier's phone or a plain unlocked model?

I ask because all they had left was the Sprint model. I bought it full price, it's unlocked, but I'm on the fence about exchanging it because I don't want Sprint to have any power over my phone.

 

[dave006]

No Sprint will not have any power over your phone. Buying a Sprint version just means that it will work on Sprint without any issues if you have an account with Sprint or want to use Sprint in the future. The status of "unlocked" is in the Apple system if the phone is unlocked and any replacement will also be "unlocked" but it never hurts to remind them any time you get a replacement that your current phone is unlocked.

Dave