So the tentative answer is "Yes, an iPhone can be used for some vibration experimental work but caution should be applied due to the uncertainty in its accuracy levels in the absence of further verified metrological (measurement) information".
The tricky part would be in quantifying its experimental accuracy levels for a selection of vibration problems as first mentioned by Vikas Ramachandra.
There could be two possible ways in which the accuracy level could be quantified. The first would be the traditional "forward" or direct problem where the experimental results of a calibrated vibration sensor (say an accelerometer) with a known uncertainty (accuracy) are compared with the experimental results from the iPhone with an unknown uncertainty (accuracy). Then the results are compared for the En (normalized error values) and tentative estimates for the iPhone acceleration measurements are calculated in order for the results to be experimentally statistically consistent. This is physically more difficult due to the need for some vibration equipment/instrument standards but mathematically easier.
The other second approach would be the "reverse" or inverse problem approach where the iPhone results are analyzed "backwards" to try and figure out what the likely experimental accuracy specifications are but this can be more mathematically tricky.