Yes, you can get a virus on your cell phone. 

Cell Phones Taking on the Drawbacks of PCs

It seems everywhere these days people are more connected, and the devices they use to get connected advance with each new product launch.  As with many technological advances, a device that will do anything that it's instructed, can also be instructed to do things that will be counter-productive. And such is the case with cell phones with internet access. The same malware that attacks personal computers from the internet can also attack your cell phone.

Viruses and the Threat to Cell Phones

Malware is an umbrella term for spyware, Trojans, viruses, worms, adware, rootkits, and more. Malware is a portmanteau of "malicious" and "software." Hence, malware is not meant to help the end user. So when answering the question "can you get a virus on your cell phone?" the unfortunate answer is "yes."

Viruses Explained

Since viruses are usually confused with other forms of malware, it's important to clear up just what a virus is. Simply, a computer virus is an analogue to the biological virus, with its main goal to copy itself repeatedly as much as possible. This in itself may not be bad, but the trouble is viruses can replicate to the extent that they will harm the host, with the host being your cell phone. And if the virus is meant to cause havoc by its programmer, then it's likely that it will be especially bad for the user.

Cell Phone Users Must Be Wary of Viruses

History is repeating itself. As personal computers became more capable and more connected, virus infections became more common. Now the same is happening to cell phones: they are becoming more capable, more connected, and thus more vulnerable.