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

I have exactly the same issue iPhone 17 pro on 2017 A Class. Wish I had read this earlier, just bought a new USB cable, disconnected, reconnected, resets, forget device, everything mentioned and it doesn’t work.

Waiting for IOS update like everyone else.

Thank you for sharing the information. Unfortunately, the workaround provided by Apple doesn't solve the problem for other car brands and even high-end motorcycles. I don't know what major change was made to the iPhone 17 Pro, but if I had known about this limitation beforehand, I would NEVER have bought the smartphone.

I have the same issue of a pixelated maps screen. Gla 250 2018 when using a IPhone 17 air. It doesn’t matter if the connection is wire or wireless the problem is the same.

IPhone 14, 12 and X all work fine, the problem only relates to the air.

Apple do I really need to use my old X to navigate…Please confirm when you will do the update to fix the issue.

I bought the GetPairr. I am completely frustrated with it since I have the joystick and not a touch screen. Trying to navigate any menu is near impossible because I can't see what is highlighted when trying to make a selection. The popup keyboard is even worse. I'm either going to put my fist through the screen or throw that adapted out my window I'm so frustrated.

Hi,

Did you buy the remote? That really helps as it’s the only way you can use the keyboard or anything that pops up on the screen (without it you can’t do updates either or connect to WiFi) if you don’t have a remote the Alcontrol app can do the same thing.

Bear in mind you cannot have your phone and remote connected at the same time so set everything up with the remote first, (including g app passwords) on startup it’s really hard to see but you can just about make out to set the time/location/language etc (you must complete this process 3 screens I think or it comes on everytime) 

Once it’s all setup and updated, unpair the remote and connect the phone. To use the remote again you have to unpair the phone (very annoying but I have brought it to their attention).

Once you finally get it set up, took me ages and like you very frustrating and had to show a lot of patience, it just starts up and CarPlay works (you have to click on the CarPlay app icon with the joystick).

It’s worth the effort!! Trust me…..the distortion drove me insane, daily!!! 

I had no idea about a remote. I will look into that app you mentioned instead.

EDIT: Looking and I'm not seeing that in the App Store. Could it be another name? Also I have looked for the remote and it's not available on Amazon.

Same thing here. Many CarPlay issues. Screen breaking up. I disconnect and reconnect - sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it’s distorted. Other issues - music sometimes resumes, Siri decides when to work and when not to work, Bluetooth devices don’t swap between phone and other Mac products like my iPhone 13 Pro Max and buds pro… text messages are read sometimes and others not. Basically my old phone was 10 times more reliable than the new one.

when you own an expensive car and an expensive phone… you kinda expect them to work - I love some aspects of the new phone, but mostly it seems full of issues. Hopefully an update comes soon. Otherwise I may have to just return this and go back a generation. Seems like those of you on 16 have had none of these issues.

Thanks for this detailed post. I have a Mercedes 2018 and have this ongoing issue.

My screen in the car is not touch screen.

It seems the workaround you have suggested might work for me too. Could you please post a link to Amazon? I want to make sure I order the right product. Thanks again

Next week is supposed to be the release of iOS 26.2. There are supposed to be a couple of CarPlay enhancements in it, but the article I read didn’t say anything about bug fixes. Apple never does either till they are out. Cross your fingers.

The remote I bought happens to be the same exact one sold on the GetPairr website. I'm still having issues. It sees the remote when I get into pairing however how do I actually pair it. I would think I would highlight the name of the remote then press the joystick? That's not working. Is there something else I should do? Luckily the GetPairr is giving me carplay that isn't pixelated but I would like to adjust the settings with the remote.

So again this is a bit frustrating but I contacted support as I had the same issue. You cannot have the phone paired and the remote at the same time.

So you have to get the device to forget your phone and then connect the remote via Bluetooth. Do everything you need to do in setup, add WiFi, update the system and login to all the apps you want to use. Then delete the remote and repair your phone.

when I spoke to support I asked if they would sort this out with an update and they agreed they would.

I think it’s disgusting if Apple can fix the issue easily, this has happened in the past with new phone models so they must be aware of what needs doing and how to fix it. I have not only paid a lot of money for my phone, I have now had to pay out for a new Ottocast Videopro adapter to make it safe to use CarPlay!!!

I have the exact same issue with my iPhone 17 pro max and my 2019 Mercedes GLC 300. It works perfect in my 2017 Mercedes G63 so this issue has something to do with some models of Mercedes and iPhone 17 since I had no issue with my iPhone 15 pro.

I installed the 26.4 Release Candidate, and it didn’t changed.

Typically, there is no new feature or bug fix after release candidate, so it appears that this issue will not be resolved in official 26.4 either.

Hey!

I just bought iPhone 17 pro max and as i connected it to my car play, the voicing is okay but the picture display is blurry. I am very uncomfortable driving with it. It's so frustrating and annoying. My job required driving. Please i will appreciate any help to get this resolved for me. Am regretting presently buying iPhone 17 pro max because i never had this problem with my previous iPhone 15