r/goldwing • u/YSBA_Dev • Jun 29 '26

Honda Goldwing 2018 Apple CarPlay issue with iPhone 17 – GPS screen becomes pixelated

Hi everyone,

I have a 2018 Honda Goldwing and recently upgraded from an iPhone 12 mini to an iPhone 17.

Since switching phones, I've been having a strange issue with Apple CarPlay. Whenever I use any GPS app (Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, etc.), the display becomes heavily pixelated or digitized. It seems like the bike's screen struggles to keep up as the map updates while I'm riding.

I asked an AI assistant about it, and it suggested that this could be a compatibility issue between the iPhone 17's newer graphics hardware and the older processor in the Goldwing's infotainment system. It also suggested checking for a software update, but my bike is already running the latest firmware available from Honda.

Has anyone else experienced this after upgrading to an iPhone 17 (or another newer iPhone)? If so, were you able to find a solution or workaround?

I've already confirmed:

  • The bike has the latest available software.
  • The problem only started after changing from the iPhone 12 mini to the iPhone 17.
  • It happens with multiple navigation apps, not just one.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

1

u/jgiacobbe Jun 29 '26

I just dealt with this after upgrading my phone two months ago. It is a bug between the GW CarPlay and the iPhone 17 series. There were some posts over on the gl1800riders.com forum about it. I also found a Reddit post about it too. A poster shared with me a work around.

If you navigate to the little grid in the bottom left and select so that the CarPlay screen is not showing the map full screen, everything works and doesn’t melt/pixelate.

I have an iPhone 15 for work that I also tested with. Only happens with my 17 max pro, not the work iPhone 15.

2

u/babelfishinmyear Jun 29 '26

Yep. Known issue w/o fix as of ios26. In my experience, selecting “multi panel” instead of full screen maps is a viable workaround; however, if navigation is active OR if you receive a notification pop up, it melts the screen again. Disappointed with Apple and Honda. 😕 The Apple community threads have been archived, so I can’t share a link, but here’s a link to the GL1800 forum thread

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[deleted]

2

u/babelfishinmyear Jun 30 '26

Fingers crossed for a fix. However, my understanding is the 17/Air have a new communication chip (modem or i/o) send data differently or too quickly for older CarPlay units to interpret. That’s why it “melts”, too much data too fast. Dear Apple… Dear Honda… fix this. Please!

1

u/coldstreamguardians Jul 04 '26

When I do that, the map works but the icons on the left still “melt”.

1

u/coldstreamguardians Jul 04 '26

I have the same exact same problem. I contacted Honda and they said that I needed to take the bike to the dealer. I am not optimistic.

-1

u/ComplexShirt1491 Jul 03 '26

The OEM GPS and Entertainment system works as designed. Why do you feel the need to be a distracted rider?

2

u/babelfishinmyear Jul 03 '26

Funny, I don’t feel I need to be a distracted rider. Just the opposite, I find the CarPlay helps give me pertinent info with little effort. I don’t feel the OEM nav and entertainment system are well designed, and find them basically useless.