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

Same issue here: Mercedes SLC 2017 with iPhone 17 Pro.

CarPlay was working perfectly with my previous iPhone 15 Pro on iOS 26 (and it still does).

With the 17 Pro iOS 26.0.1, I’ve tried multiple cables and even a wireless adapter, hoping that having an interface in between would solve the problem, but none of these made any difference.

Apple just announced iOS 26.1 RC (Release Candidate), and after reviewing the changelog, there’s no mention of any fixes related to CarPlay.

iOS & iPadOS 26.1 RC Release Notes | Apple Developer Documentation

Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be getting a fix in the next iOS release.

Upgraded to to 26.1, didn’t resolve the issue. I was advised by the support team that they think it’s an issue with a VPN, or a password manager, or an antivirus. Removed all these things and the issue is still present. That I can tell my head unit is on an apple version of 160820.

Both my local Mercedes dealer and an independent specialist have said it will be £120+ to even check the firmware version regardless of if there is an update available.

Same problem: Iphone 17 pro + ios 26.1 + c300 2018 both wired and wireless dongle connections. Navigaton totally unusable with pixelated screen.

No problem on another Mercedes car: gle350 2021

Don’t care who is guilty, not my problem at all - Apple and Mercedes must come to agreement among themselves and fix it.

my Mercedes 2018 GLA spent 4 days at Mercedes after getting a new iPhone 17 pro.

screen so glitched! I’m a Realtor and rely on my map for not only convenience but also safety. This has totally disrupted my daily function.

5 different people told me 5 different things at Mercedes.

they had me update my phone : still didn’t work.

t Mobil updated my maps as a troubleshooting and didn't work.

one person advised me to get a screen at a tech shop that costs 1700.

i really wish apple would take care of this!! Would have never upgraded if I knew this would happen, and I don’t want to downgrade.

seriously ready to sell this car !!

I have the exact same issue with my 2017 CLA an the new Iphone Air I just got. Tried everything suggested online, nothing works. Never had a single issue with my old Iphone Xr on IOS 18.

So, has anyone tried an Ottocast Mini and would be kind enough to share if it solved the pixilation issue? If not, could it be a refresh rate problem for the original display of the car, and maybe a new custom display might fix it? Or, just wait patiently for an IOS update and hope Apple will look into it.....

Did you have an update. I too have a GLA 2018 and this has been so frustrating with Bobby Rahal Mercedes in Pittsburgh. Everybody gives me a different answer. Apparently a bulletin was released by Mercedes on this but they would not share the bulletin nor provide a date the bulletin was released.

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.