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

Here we go again….Upgraded to iPhone 17Pro Max and apple carplay seems to have an issue. This seems to be a recurring issue when the new iPhone and new IOS comes out. When i connect directly with the cable in my Mercedes BClass W246 the screen blurs and pixelates like the picture below. I have tried removing the device from the car and car play and yet the issue persists. This makes apple car play unusable with without constantly exiting the app and going back in, to which the screen refreshes and works for less that a minute. The apple side bar continues to be blurred. This happened when the apple 16 came out and 13. My previous iPhone 16pro did the same until and update from apple. Same as the iphone 13pro previously. Any assistance would be greatly received…


[Edited by Moderator]

Original Title: Apple Carplay Issue..Again (2025)

iPhone 17 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 27, 2025 1:22 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 16, 2025 5:16 AM

Hi,


Ive tried quite a few wireless adapters with no luck, they just remove the need for a wire…..it’s still the same connection. However the Ottocast play2video ultra and the getpairr go 2.0 do fix the issue, (getpairr is £40 on Ali express), these have a whole new android UI so it completely updates the software system of the car.


It is not the display that’s the problem, it’s the software/hardware in the Mercedes.

107 replies

Nov 16, 2025 4:35 AM in response to olgun65

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.....

Oct 16, 2025 4:55 AM in response to Nick from London

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. 😞




Oct 27, 2025 2:59 AM in response to rscaramelo

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.

Oct 31, 2025 8:48 AM in response to olgun65

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.

Nov 8, 2025 1:16 PM in response to GhostPhantom

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)

Nov 11, 2025 7:44 PM in response to felipedru

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.


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

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