They always seem to be a problem. They of course wear out and break. Most are too long for the remote to mobile. I bought 12 inch ones online, but they get a little too tight for my I Pad Air and break. Sometimes a problem comes up and you find out it is the lighting cord. I think I found a good compromise on length and keeping the stress off the connectors. I saw this at Walmart in the clearance section for $4 US. I have seen them many other stores, but it just clicked on me for mobile to remote use. It's always the right length. If the lighting cord does go bad, you can replace the cord and still use the retractor.