Problems updating Connect add-in?

We use a hosted Connect account to provide distance-learning for school-age children.  We have done this for a number of years, and have rarely encountered a problem with Connect.

Since the forced add-in update a couple of weeks ago, though, we've had unprecedented numbers of students saying that they are unable to attend lessons, and it sounds like not being able to update the add-in is the cause.  I updated the links to the meetings to append ?launcher=false to try to force the browser to use Flash rather than the add-in (as well as advising students to try another browser) - that helped some users but caused problems for others.  It also doesn't seem to work for Microsoft Edge, which tries to launch the add-in regardless.

It doesn't help that this is the iPad generation who struggle to create a folder, yet alone uninstall an application and troubleshoot problems for themselves.  I went out to look at one student's computer and there wasn't a specific issue - it was just clogged up with lots of unnecessary software (including two out-of-date antivirus applications), and when I removed those Connect worked again.  That can't be the issue in all cases, though.

Is the new add-in known to be more problematic?  Has anyone else encountered similar problems, and is there any simple, generic advice that you give?