Assuming the email wasn’t msn.com but something more specific like smn.com, then try reaching out to the domain owners (if it was smn.com, looking at their site, they’re not very tech-savvy, so probably haven’t even realised they’ve lost their watch 😏)

Screen protector, yes. Case, no.

I was one of those that had issues, but it was an issue between the OS and a third party app. Removing that app fixed it temporarily and the new update has resolved it from the OS level. During this Apple Support helped me out with no issues at all.

I mean, yes, feel free to remain on a back level of the OS “just in case”, but any OS update could cause issues. Wait a little while before updating to make sure there’s nothing too hideous and then do it. Otherwise, you’ll get yourself in a mindset where you never update anything “just in case”.