iPhone virus protection

No you don't need it. Malware (including viruses) are applications and on your iPhone may only be installed via the App Store, and Apple makes sure there are none there.

So no, don't believe pop ups telling you your device is compromised. I've no idea if the "protection" apps are legit but I can tell you they are pointless, and frequently sold by means of scary pop-ups. Ignore.

Finally, the once exception to all of this is if you have jailbroken your phone. If you have all bets are off and you're on your own. If do don't know what that means, then you haven't, and no need to worry.

No such product is required.

Any such popup message will be a scam. Close the offending page and avoid sites that are involved in such bogus advertising tactics.

Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popup… - Apple Community

No the iPhone does not need virus protection.

No you should not believe those scam popups.

No don’t bother downloading any of those apps. They’re probably harmless enough but they don’t do anything useful.

Do not ever trust a pop up to be a legitimate security notification.

Contact Apple support.

To my knowledge there is no antivirus service available that will offer additional security to your iPhone.

Apple has also introduced sideloading in the EU as required by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). If you are in the EU and are on the latest version of iOS, I would recommend only downloading from the App Store. Sideloading can end up in viruses on your iPhone that wasn’t able to happen previously.

Zedairder wrote:

Sideloading can end up in viruses on your iPhone that wasn’t able to happen previously.

There as simply no viruses that can affect an iPhone (unless, possibly, if it hs been jailbroken). There are other kinds of malware that, theoretically, might affect an iPhone.

Zedairder wrote:

Apple has also introduced sideloading in the EU as required by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). If you are in the EU and are on the latest version of iOS, I would recommend only downloading from the App Store. Sideloading can end up in viruses on your iPhone that wasn’t able to happen previously.

That’s a good recommendation, but sideloading from approved 3rd party app stores, which have their own security checks, shouldn’t be a problem.