Part of the appeal about iOS for me is that apps are reviewed for quality and don't have obvious scams or spywear inside.
I'm happy to guide my parents to use and download apps from the app store without worrying about it. Compare this to the constant education and guidance I need to provide about websites, phone calls, text messages etc. The amount of targeted scams and spam we receive nowadays is excessive.
I think this is the problem: people want access to the 'app store' while forgetting/ignoring that the tight security and rigid processes are a feature, not a liability.
You shouldn't be. There have been plenty of scams in the App Store.
And where did you heard iOS is free from viruses?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_(spyware)
From the top of my head there's also AdThief and AceDeceiver.
Not only that but App store is full of Anti-virus offerings.
They don't block, and you can disable scanning fully.
It's not.