I might add that the phones used in the article are quite old and dated now. Perhaps sensors are different with a more updated phone. Perhaps not.Interesting reading on light meters vs phone light meter apps. Although it does get fairly technical, it's less technical than a similar article I found but didn't link.
DON’T ‘PHONE IT IN’: WHY SMARTPHONES ARE POOR SUBSTITUTES FOR LIGHT METERS
I guess if one wants to play devil's advocate...How do you know the light meter app on your phone is accurate if you don't have an actual light meter to compare it to? Conversely, having a light meter app on your phone gives you a general idea, and that's better than having no information at all.