Pixelated Apple CarPlay screen on iPhone 17 Pro Max with Mercedes BClass W246

I even bought a wireless adapter to see if it was wired related but the same issue is there.

Had no problems with a 16 Pro Max and a 15 Pro Max, both on iOS26.

Mercedes GLE 500e 2016 - NTG5.1 - usb A - iPhone 17 pro 26.1 - issues

Mercedes CLS 450 2019 - NTG5.5 - usb A - same phone iPhone 17 pro 26.1 - no issues

If both Apple and Mercedes are blaming each other for this issue then what are the options?

CarPlay gets used extensively by my wife during commutes and it's unusable at the moment.

Surely it's worth Apple engineers looking into and if it's unfixable as it's an inherent side effect of the iPhone 17 series hardware then make a statement to say so.

How many people are trying multiple things or buying items in the hopes of finding the remedy. I myself have bought new leads and a wireless adapter to try to sort the problem to no avail.

I'm a long time happy Apple customer with many, many Apple devices over the years and when something like this happens I usually have faith in Apple fixing the bug in a timely manner. Not optimistic if they are saying it's down to Mercedes to sort, which let's face it.......will be unlikely. Even if by some miracle they did, you know they'd charge a massive fee to update the car's software.

Feels hopeless. 😞

It’s incredibly frustrating that this is happening with my iPhone 17 Pro Max in my Mercedes A180d. I can barely use navigation without frequently exiting CarPlay. Apple needs to fix this issue with the next iOS update.

[Edited by Moderator]

Same issue with Mercedes Benz GLA 2017 - Wired and with wireless adapter. I called Apple they restored my phone and no luck. Issue still happening they advised me to speak with Mercedes which I haven’t as out of warranty. Please advise me if there is solution

Same issue here. Recently purchased the iPhone 17 and now having this fuzzy connection issues when using a USB to connect to my CarPlay on my A Class.

Wasn’t an issue on my iPhone 12. Used over 5 different cables and the issues persistent.

Have to resort to using the small display. Apple need to fix ASAP.

I encountered the same issue when the iPhone 15 was released. It was the first USB-C iPhone, and the original Mercedes cable didn’t work. Moreover, Apple didn’t release a USB-A to USB-C cable itself. Back then, I managed to fix it by purchasing an Ankle cable after trying a few other cables.

This time, it appears to be an Apple issue, but it’s different from the one I faced during the iPhone 15 launch.

Same issue with 2019 Mercedes GLC300. Really sucks, I won’t be able to deal with unusable CarPlay for very long.

I had been wavering on whether I should switch over to Android before I decided to upgrade to iPhone 17. This CarPlay issue is making me think I made the wrong choice in sticking with iPhone. I hope this gets resolved quickly.

2018 Honda Goldwing, screen was fine with 2022 iPhone SE,,,Just got new iPhone 17 and within 2 minutes the screen starts to pixilate with GPS from Apple or Google. USELESS ! I want my SE back !!! Tried new USB cord from Apple Store (Beats brand) no difference from a cheap DG cord,,,,very ****** off.....

In that case have they managed to explain what they have done to the iPhone 17 series that’s made this happen (when the os is the same?)

What exactly do Mercedes need to fix?

Has anyone spoken to Mercedes about this issue? My last software update was in 2021, no idea how to update it again?

Ive ordered a getpairr ai (magic box) wireless adapter, praying this may fix this issue…..(ordered with remote as I don’t have a touchscreen to set it up)

Extremely frustrating to have just upgraded my phone to iPhone 17 pro max only to discover that CarPlay is no longer usable. This needs an urgent fix, I need to use CarPlay every day. @apple please fix this asap !

Update: Mercedes updated the infotainment system to the latest version available for my GLA180 2018 (Australia).

As soon as I connected the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the car via the cable and configued Apple Carplay, I could see the issue has not been fixed. Very disappointing.

I've sent Apple an email to update them about the case, and asked what are the next steps.

I’m having the same pixelated issue with my iPhone 17 Air in my C class w205. Year 2018.

very frustrated with it. Previously with my older iPhone never had this issue. Hope Apple has a new patch for this soon.

Thanks for the useful information!

I’m currently using an old iPhone 12 Pro just for navigation, music, etc., but of course it’s not without issues; like having to reconnect the hotspot every time, and the whole setup becoming messy whenever a phone call comes in.

This Ottocast Play2Video Ultra solution definitely looks better than what I’m doing now. I’m just a bit worried about the cheap Android layer that looks somewhat chaotic.

My car (a Mercedes SLC) has no touchscreen, so if I understand correctly I’d be able to use the CarPlay UI with the Mercedes controller, but not the Android UI of the device. And to control the Android interface I’d need the version that comes with the dedicated remote, right?

P.S. Apple is really dropping the ball here. These Mercedes systems (installed up until around 2020) are still used by thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide. And these cars are definitely not the kind you consider “obsolete” after five years or so.

Same problem with distorted screen using CarPlay in a Mercedes Benz A200 Class.

I tried buying the Ottocast and it still doesn't work. The screen doesn't stay stable for even 5 minutes. I have IOS 26.1

I hope Apple releases an update to fix this because it's frustrating.

Thank you very much.