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

remember to report it to apple. Posting here would not help making them fixing it.

Same issue in my 2018 CLA.

I have had a case open with Apple and they reset network, uninstalled VPN. Shared my logs and video and screenshots with engineering who came back and said it is a Mercedes problem not an Apple problem. DESPITE the fact that a 15 pro works fine and and a 17 pro doesn’t work… I’m no engineer, but that sounds like an Apple problem.

[Edited by Moderator]

Same issue with Mercedes C class and iPhone 17 Pro Max with iOS 26.0.1

problem is visible using original cable USB or 3rd party wireless adapters

iPhones 12-16 work just fine

[Edited by Moderator]

Same exact issue in my 2018 W176. Had zero issues with my iPhone 13 both wired and with a wireless adapter. The 17 however just glitches immediately. I’d be tempted to return it while I can and maybe buy again when I know for certain its fixed.

[Edited by Moderator]

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 have the same issue with my iPhone 17 pro in my SLC Mercedes. IPhone 14 Pro worked perfectly and still does when retried the old phone. I feel it’s dangerous for driving as very distracting and Maps and Waze too distorted. I would have got the 16 pro max had I known about this issues prior to my purchase! Apple need to get this bug fixed asap in my opinion! Especially as they are aware it’s happed with new model iPhones in the past.

I’m experiencing this “pixilating picture” problem as well on a 2021 Honda CR-V, but my phone is a 14Pro. As I recall, this started after an iOS update. So this is not limited to Mercedes or to newer phones….

IOS 26.2.1 - Updated yesterday and things got worse. The full screen map still glitches and is pixelating. I can only use the small map. So that hasn’t changed. What’s different is that I use to be able to use the Satellite Radio or FM but now it only gives you the option to “Return to CarPlay”. It sounds like you are listening to an old AM transistor radio if you use any music app. They are working on something. It’s just going the wrong way. It’s almost unusable now. I hope things improve on IOS 26.3. 2019 GLC 300.

First time iPhone user after well more than a decade on Android, was curious about how the transition would be, only to face this issue the first hours of usage, quickly went to find answers on it and found this thread, seeing the post is pretty much half a year old and the issue is still persisting it's pretty much unbelievable, Apple, known for the top tier UI's can't figure out a feature like apple car play.

Do they realise the amount of people that have and iPhone and have Mercedes cars around the world? I would guess it's not just the 300 and something that clicked "Me too" on this thread.

I am out of words to be honest, this is just a really big, big fumble from Apple on this one. Taking into consideration that this is an issue that keeps happening on new iPhones?

What more can I say, seems like users are pretty much being discarded on this one, if you're an apple developer working on this feature and you're reading this, please try and raise the priority on this issue with the people responsible for apple car play, this is just very disappointing really, and I am facing this just for some days, imagine the people that paid 1k+ for a brand new iPhone and are facing this from day one.

FYI: iPhone is updated to the latest current version: 26.3