If you’re single, dating and an iPhone user, you’ve probably experienced the “dreaded green bubble.” This happened to me the other night: I was texting this guy I’m interested in for the first time and when he replied…in green. Cue Twilight zone music.

For those of you who are not iPhone users, the green texting bubble occurs when an iPhone user texts a non-iPhone user (iPhone to iPhone texts are considered “iMessages” and are always received in a blue bubble.)

Whether you’re willing to acknowledge it or not, when you receive the dreaded green bubble, a judgment occurs. Immediately your mind starts to go in a million different directions. Are they using an Android? (“Huh, I wouldn’t have pegged them for an Android user, but hey, I guess it doesn’t really matter.”) Or a Blackberry? (“A Blackberry? Really? Hopefully it’s just their work phone”) Or, god forbid – what if they are texting me from a flip phone?! (“My grandma uses one of those phones. Are they secretly a senior citizen? Did they just get out of prison? I don’t understand.”)

I feel like if Seinfeld was still on the air in 2014, Jerry and George would probably have a conversation about this over a box of cornflakes in Jerry’s kitchen. (“George, I sent her a text and it came back green. Green! I don’t know if I can date someone who still thinks that a Razr phone is an acceptable communication device.”) This stuff shouldn’t matter at all, but on some subconscious level, it does register. The green bubble is Apple’s not-so-subtle way of saying “This person is not like you.” They have different aesthetic preferences, consumer habits and possibly are still living in 2004.

The truth of the matter is that we’re part of a “texting generation” where most of us are glued to our smartphones, running our social and professional lives while spending an inordinate amount of time trying to decode the underlying nuances of various electronic communications – technology which, ironically, was designed to make our lives easier. When it comes to dating, texts and emails are obsessed over and dissected for hidden meanings, as if we were searching for the Lindbergh baby – even though what we really want to know is why the cute guy we made out with last week at that dive bar has been ending all of his texts with smiling cat emoticons. For every text sent, there’s likely someone, somewhere asking, “What does this mean?”

In other words, dating in the digital era is basically a giant breeding ground for paranoia and anxiety. In a time when nothing feels certain and everything could mean something else, it’s easy to see why we cling to the familiar. Our phones have become extensions of ourselves, of our dating personalities. At the end of the day, we want to be with someone who sees the world the same way we do – even if it’s just that they see the same color bubble on their phone when they send you a text. The blue bubble says, “Hey, we more or less speak the same language.” In uncertain times, somehow, this is comforting.

So, at the risk of sounding completely superficial, here’s a few reasons why iPhone users should only date other iPhone users.

1) iPhone users are smart and hot (or at least think they are) – Although people always say opposites attract, when it comes to dating and love, like often attracts like. A recent study commissioned by TalkTalk Mobile, surveyed 2,000 owners of the three major smartphone brands to determine whether the choice of handset was an extension of their personality. The study found that iPhone users are more image conscious and generally rate themselves more attractive than those with other handsets. iPhone users are media darlings and are more well -travelled than other phone users. Personality wise, they are confident, ambitious, flirty, bright and daring. So, if you’re a driven creative professional (like I am) looking for an attractive partner in crime to travel the world with, dating a fellow iPhone user is where it’s at.

2) iPhone users go on more dates – If you’re looking to actually go on dates, you’re more likely to date a fellow iPhone user to begin with. According to a recent survey conducted by Match.com, iPhone users go on more first dates than users of any other handset. The study asked 5,000 non-married men and women in the U.S more than 200 questions, including whether they had been on one or more first dates in the last year. None were in a serious relationship. The results were then broken down by type of smartphone.

According to the data, 49% of iPhone singles went on at least one first date in 2012. Next up were Windows Phone users, 46% of whom had first-dated; for Android users, it was 44%. BlackBerry owners were the least likely to have been on a first date that year; only 42% of them had done it. Not so surprisingly, just 27% of old-school feature phone owners went on a first date in 2012 and  among singles who don’t carry a phone at all, the number was a mere 18% – proof that we really are living in a world where being connected digitally connected matters when it comes to dating.

Are iPhone users simply more out-going? It’s possible, however, when it comes to dating, we’re sure that their confident, flirty personality doesn’t hurt.

3) iPhone users are more likely to share your esthetic preferences – When it comes to how I live my life, I like things to be organized, straightforward, inter-connected and beautiful in their simplicity. I like the maximum amount of functionality with the least amount of annoying bells & whistles. This is why I love Apple products. They’re beautiful, they’re user friendly and I can sync up all my devices. The way I see it, a fellow iPhone user is more likely to understand why I find these qualities important and share a similar lifestyle and worldview. Just saying.

4) You’ll never have to feel guilty for the anxiety you feel when you see the Dreaded Green Bubble. For most of us, this is reason enough.