Do you need antivirus software on your phone?

If you use the official app store (App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android), you don't need separate antivirus software. It's already built in and it works. Antivirus apps for phones are marketing hype and don't protect you better. The real protection is only downloading apps from the official store and being careful what permissions you give them.

Your phone already has security built directly into it. Apple checks every app on the App Store before it's published, and Google does the same on Google Play. That's your antivirus. Third-party antivirus apps for phones exist mainly as a marketing strategy. They can't protect you better than what's already there, and some actually slow your phone down.