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

Same exact issue on a 2018 GLC300 with Iphone 17 Pro. Was previously using iPhone 13 Pro with IOS 26.0.1 and there was no issue. I am outside my return window so cannot even return this phone and go to a iPhone 16 like so many others have. Nothing has changed in the Mercedes - the only change is going from a 13 Pro to a 17 Pro so it looks like this is an issue with how the 17 Pro is sending video to the the car. A fix needs to come soon otherwise Carplay becomes useless.

It is an Apple issue. I was at the dealership for something different and they told me they have been fielding calls and walk-ins concerning this. They told me the same thing seems to always happen for the first month or two after the new iPhone comes out. Apple needs to come up with an update.

I have the same problem, iPhone 17 with iOS 26.0.1.

Mercedes A180d (2018).

With the iPhone 16 and iOS 26 I didn’t have any problems.

This issue started with the iPhone 17.

In my opinion, there are compatibility problems between Mercedes and the iPhone 17, because CarPlay works fine with my iPhone 17 in another car.

Same Issue with Iphone 17 Pro with my B class from 2018 W246 connected via wire but also wireless using a dongle. However using the same phone in my wife's Hyundai Kona no problems at all so it must be the combination Iphone 17 with Mercedes media centre.

I've been fighting Apple since iPhone 17 launch day. I have a Mercedes GLA 2018.

I opened a case with Apple, which asked me to toubleshoot by changing VPN, Wifi but nothing worked, and they then told me I was on my own. Therefore I opened a case with Fair Trade Australia, which forced Apple to try doing something.

On my own, I tried updating iOS, different cables, a bluetooth adapter, etc, but nothing helped. As a few people described, I tried to disable Wifi, but that also didn't help.

This morning (Nov-11 2025) I dropped my car off to Mercedes for a diagnostic as directed by Apple. Before accepting the service they contacted a technician who informed they are aware of the issue, and that plenty of people are having the same issue. They said the best they can do is to update the infotainment software, although I don't think that's covered by the diagnose service.

By the end of the day I'll have an update for you all.

Update: I tested my iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS 26.1) with 2018 Audi Q5 (wired connection). No rendering issues. CarPlay works perfectly. Using the same phone and the wire with 2020 Mercedes-Benz SLC 43 AMG, the rendering issues have NOT been resolved.

What is happening to us owners of the new iPhone already happened with the iPhone 15 and with Mercedes. They fixed it with an iOS update. I hope they do the same again this year and fix it for the iPhone 17.

For now, the best way to go is to use Android AI boxes like Ottocast or GetPairr. Just a heads-up: the device needs to have an Android interface, not just a wireless carplay adapter—that’s the main thing. Basically, you’ll need to act like you’re using Android. For me the GetPairr Go 2.0 fixed the problem.

Same here on my Gla 2019 , even bought new apple lightening cable .

apple support blame the IOS update for iPhone 17 pro max

My Honda Goldwing has exact same problem. I found a workaround, if you use the split screen with GPS on left half then it seems fine so far. Otherwise on less than a minute it starts pixelating.

Ottocast play2video or Getpairr Go 2.0 will solve your problems, it’s sorted my Merc 2017 out!

Exactly the same issues here with my B200 AMG Line 2017 - screen is all pixelated and distorted especially when using maps. This happens when using cable to wired connection or used a CarPlay compatible wireless adaptor.

I have had a replacement 17pro Max sent to me under warranty and it does the same thing thing. So certainly a sport ware issue that needs resolving very quickly!

Same issue here. 2017 Mercedes A180 with CarPlay is fine on old iPhone14 with latest iOS buy the iphone17 ProMax output is heavily pixelated. Rebooting reloading resetting makes no difference. Cable connection is latest beats usb a-c. So it's the iPhone17 and the way it works with CarPlay. Predictably Mercedes tech department have said it's an iPhone17 issue & not there problem. Full screen maps if unusable and pixelates out quickly. It is just about usable if you only use the small half screen version of Maps, but putting up permanently with this restriction and poor performance is really bad! The whole point of CarPlay is that it works on any iPhone phone with any car so really annoying that iphone17 has this problem. I'd imagine on newer cars it may work fine but I'm not buying a new car to fix this. There are 3rd party hardware suppliers who offer a fix but don't see why I should load expensive shoddy 3rd party solutions to remedy a predictable problem. Apple please fix!

I noticed that the pixelation mentioned in this thread seems to be occurring on older screens - mine is a 2017 car so not that old but not brand new tech. What's really needed is a technical explanation from Apple support rather than the current position which is that it's a Mercedes problem. As 16's seem to work fine common sense would state that this has to do with the 17's video output to CarPlay being slightly different to the 16's and that to me sounds like an Apple issue. In simple terms Mercedes hasn't done anything to change their CarPlay format but Apple has. Perhaps it's more complicated than this but hard to see how. I'd put up with this if CarPlay was a secondary feature on the phone but for many people (and me) it's mission critical. If the phones are not compatible with 2017/18 Mercedes screens then Apple needs to communicate this and then customers can decide about upgrading to the 17 or not. Obviously Mercedes handwashing is not helpful either but that's another issue.

I'm hanging on checking for the periodic updates, but it is always the same. This is impacting many users. Apple needs to address this please. Usually I can get around the issue by using the split screen with the maps on the left but even that isn't fullproof.