It is very strange and suspicious that messengers can cover almost all Android devices.
However, some other applications (For example, applications related to cryptocurrencies) that are not very complex can not cover all devices.
Telegram: Version 7.8.0 (23605) Added on 2021-07-05 This version requires Android 4.1 or newer.
WhatsApp Messenger: (from play store) Updated 6 July 2021 Current Version 2.21.13.28 Requires Android 4.1 and up
Termux: Version 0.116 (116) Added on 2021-07-07 This version requires Android 7.0 or newer.
BlueWallet: Version 6.1.6 (60106) Added on 2021-07-05 This version requires Android 9.0 or newer.
Exodus: Crypto Bitcoin Wallet (From play store) Updated 3 July 2021Current Version 21.7.2 Requires Android 8.0 and up.
Q1: How can Android 4.1 be secure for messengers but not for other apps?
Q2: If Android 4.1 is not secure, So why use it for messengers!?
The thing is, older Android versions do not always support all things. So sometimes as a developer you can’t use things that make your life easier if you target lower Android versions. It depends on the developer how willing they are to put up with supporting older versions.
IMO, because WhatsApp (Facebook) and Telegram (“ex-pat” Russians etc.), use proprietary servers, they should not be trusted for anything important. Paranoid or criminals should assume their purpose is for monitoring communications, and monitizing collected information. Therefore, they have incentives to run on as many devices as possible, and real security and privacy are secondary concerns. But that’s just an opinion.
Very big surprise, the bigger the user base, the more devices are supported.
The effort necessary to support old version hardly increases by the number of users, but the reward obviously does.
And if your target audience is tech geeks (crypto currencies, open source, …) the odds are high that most of them have modern Hardware anyway
