HBO Max can be streamed straight from the app on your Apple TV, giving you access to thousands of movies and TV shows. However, sometimes this app doesn’t always work. This article aims to outline each problem that HMO Max users experience on their Apple TV so that you can fix your own.
If HBO Max is not working on Apple TV, it could be due to an outdated app. Ensure your HBO Max app is updated to the latest version through the Apple TV App Store. This can often resolve compatibility and functionality issues.
I will explain the above issues in more details below, as well as all the troubleshooting techniques to fix them. I have also included how you can still stream the HBO Max app to your Apple TV if you have an earlier version.
Apple TV HBO Max Not Working
HBO Max is a relatively new streaming service. Therefore the biggest issue at the moment is all the bugs in the firmware that can only be fixed by the HBO developers. Once they have developed a fix, a new update will be released and the HBO Max app should work again.
Below you will find how to update the HBO Max app on your Apple TV, as well as a number of other general troubleshooting methods to try if the app is not working.
Update the HBO Max App
The Apple TV usually updates apps automatically. However, if this function has been disabled, you can turn it back by following the pathway below.
Settings > Apps > Automatically Update Apps > On
In order to manually update your HBO Max app, you will need to go to the App Store. Follow the steps below to do this.
Step 1: Open the App Store from your Apple TV’s main menu.
Step 2: Find and select the HBO Max app.
Step 3: If an update is available, select ‘Update’.
Alternatively, the Apple TV has a list of all of the pending updates in the App Store. You can find these by selecting your profile icon and then clicking on ‘Pending Updates’. Here you can choose to update individual apps, or you can select ‘Update All’ to install all the available app updates.
Update the Apple TV
Sometimes there are also bugs in the firmware on the apple TV that are incompatible with the HBO Max app. For this reason, you should also make sure your Apple TV is up to date. You can turn on automatic updates using the process below.
Settings > System > Software Updates > Automatically Update > On
Alternatively, you can update the Apple TV manually in the same settings. Select ‘Update software’ instead of ‘Automatically Update’. If an update is available, you will be able to select ‘Download and Install’.
Restart the HBO Max App or the Apple TV
Sometimes closing the app or restarting the Apple TV is enough to clear any small errors that have occurred. To close the HBO Max app, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Double click the ‘TV’ button on the remote.
Step 2: Make sure you have highlighted the HBO Max app.
Step 3: Swipe or touch upwards on the remote’s touch pad to close the app. This is similar to closing an app on an iPhone or iPad.
Step 4: Reopen the app to see if it is working.
There are two ways that you can restart your Apple TV. The first is by holding the ‘TV’ button together with either the ‘Back’ button (second generation Siri remote) or the ‘Menu’ button (first generation Siri remote). You should hold the two buttons until the Apple TV’s light blinks and it restarts.
The other method is through the Apple TV’s system settings. You can find this function through the pathway below.
Settings > System > Restart
The other thing you can try is a hard reset. This involves unplugging the Apple TV so that any residual charge is drained. By doing this, you are forcing it to clear any unnecessary memory, which may include other small errors in the system.
Step 1: Unplug the Apple TV from its power source.
Step 2: Wait for approximately 10 minutes.
Step 3: Plug in and turn on the Apple TV to see if it is working again.
Reinstall the HBO Max App
Uninstalling and reinstalling the HBO Max app will clear any temporary data files that have built up over time. This storage is known as the cache. You can uninstall and reinstall the app using the method below.
Step 1: Press and hold the ‘Menu’ button to get to the main menu on the Apple TV.
Step 2: Highlight the HBO Max app.
Step 3: Press and hold the ‘Select’ button on the remote until the app begins to jiggle.
Step 4: Press the ‘Play/Pause’ button on the remote to open the app menu.
Step 5: Select ‘Delete’.
Step 6: Open the App Store.
Step 7: Find and select the HBO Max app.
Step 8: Select ‘Install’.
Reset the Network
Another common issue relates to poor internet connection. This will cause issues with the app opening, loading or streaming content. In order to reset the network, you will need to unplug the modem and router in the particular order outlined below.
Step 1: Unplug both the modem and router (if you have one) from their power source.
Step 2: Wait for at least one minute with these devices unplugged.
Step 3: Plug the modem back in and wait for it to reboot.
Step 4: Once the modem has fully rebooted, plug the router back in (if you have one) and wait for it to reboot.
Restore Apple TV to Factory Settings
If you perform a factory reset and your network is fine, you know that it is definitely an issue beyond your control. You can perform a factory reset using the steps below. Keep in mind that this will erase all saved preferences and downloaded content on your Apple TV.
Step 1: Navigate to ‘Settings > System > Reset’.
Step 2: Select either ‘Reset’ or ‘Reset and Update’.
Step 3: Wait for the Apple TV to fully reboot.
HBO Max App Not Showing Up/Available/Found on Apple TV
HBO Max is not available outside the United States. If you live in another country, the HBO Max app will not be available on your Apple TV. However, if you have a VPN enabled, this should solve your problem.
For those that are within the United States or using a VPN, keep in mind that you need the Apple TV set-top box to be able to access HBO Max through the Apple App Store. It is not enough to simply have the Apple TV app installed on a smart TV. Some smart TVs, such as the LG smart TV, do not have access to the HBO Max app.
However, your Apple TV set-top box also needs to be fourth generation or later in order to download the HBO Max app. Previous generations of Apple TV do not have the capability to download any new apps. You can, however, use Airplay from another Apple device so stream HBO Max content on your Apple TV.
Apple TV HBO Max Not Loading/Opening
If your HBO Max app is not loading, it is likely due to an issue with your internet connection. If you have already restarted your modem/router, there are other troubleshooting tips you should consider. First, you should check you internet speed to confirm that it is the network causing issues.
Checking your Network Speed
There are a number of websites that allow you to check your internet speed. One of the common internet-testing websites is called SPEEDTEST. You can download the Apple TV SPEEDTEST app to test your internet on the Apple TV.
Generally, you need a download speed of at least 5MB/s to stream high definition content on the HBO Max app. Any 4K streaming should be supported by speeds of 50MB/s or more. If you are not getting these speeds, your stream will pause constantly and something will need to change.
The content quality on HBO Max is automatically adjusted based on the internet speeds available on your network. Unfortunately, if the internet speed is still too slow, you cannot adjust this manually to standard definition. You will need to refer to one of the troubleshooting methods below to improve your network connection instead.
Move the Modem/Router Closer
Check that your modem and router are close enough to the Apple TV. They should be no more than 30 feet away, but closer is preferable. If you aren’t able to move the devices any closer together, such as in a larger house, you may need to invest in a WiFi booster to place between the two.
Minimise Interference
Even if your modem/router and Apple TV are close together, your internet may also be affected by interference. Any form of interference will either block the signal completely, or will make it cut out constantly. Both of these issues will affect your HBO Max app.
There can be physical barriers that interfere with the signal, or other wireless transmissions. Below are a number of common things that can interfere with your WiFi.
· Microwaves
· Baby monitors or other radios
· Other WiFi networks or Bluetooth devices (such as headphones)
· Thick timber or concrete walls
· Large bodies of water, such as a hydroponic heating system or an aquarium.
Use Ethernet
It may be annoying to have your Apple TV tied down with cables, but Ethernet cables are known to provide the fastest available download speeds with your network. If this is a possibility for you, connecting the Apple TV to the internet via an Ethernet cable may solve your connectivity issues. You may also notice that menus load faster in the HBO Max app, improving your user experience.
If your internet is not the issue, the other option is that the app has an overloaded cache. You cannot separately clear an app’s cache on the Apple TV, so you will have to uninstall and reinstall the app. This process is described above.
HBO Max Keeps Freezing/Crashing on Apple TV
The two main reasons your HBO Max app will crash is either a firmware bug or an overloaded cache. Keeping both your Apple TV and your HBO Max app up to date will help fix any known firmware bugs that are causing the crash. It may take one or two weeks for the bug fixes to be rolled out to all users.
As I mentioned earlier, you cannot clear the cache on an Apple TV. However, uninstalling and reinstalling the HBO Max app will achieve the same thing because a freshly installed app has a completely empty cache. Using the app for extended periods of time can cause the cache to fill up quickly.
Apple TV Won’t Play HBO Max
If you are having trouble streaming content in your HBO Max app, it is possible that the network is too slow or that the connection in down. You can find troubleshooting tips for this at the beginning of this article and also under the heading ‘Apple TV HBO Max Not Loading/Opening ’.
Another possibility is that the HBO servers are down. You can check this by either calling HBO support directly, or by checking websites that monitor outages. One popular website is Down Detector.
Apple TV HBO Max Sound/Audio/Volume Not Working
Below are a number of things you can try if the sound is not working on your HBO Max app on the Apple TV. These troubleshooting methods assume that the sound is not working on all HBO Max content. If it is just one particular movie or TV show, if may be an issue with the content and HBO will need to fix this.
The most basic troubleshooting begins with your volume settings. Check that the volume has not been muted or is too low on either your TV or an external speaker system. You should also ensure your Apple TV and HBO Max app is up to date.
External Speakers
If you are using any external speakers, make sure that these have been turned on and that the volume is not muted or too low. You will also need to check that the correct speakers have been set as the Apple TV’s designated audio output. This can be done in the settings below.
Settings > Audio and Video > Audio Output
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on June 29, 2021.
HDMI Cable
You may also have a faulty HDMI cable. First try unplug and reinserting the HDMI cable at both ends to see if it was loose. If not, try the cable with a different device to be sure. If your cable is faulty, you will need a replacement.
The HDMI ports can also fail. If a new cable still does not work in that port, you will need to use a different port or have the hardware replaced. Hopefully this can be done under warranty.
Apple TV Audio Settings
The audio settings on your Apple TV can also make a difference to the audio in the HBO Max app. The Apple TV will automatically try to select the best audio format for your streaming experience, but sometimes it chooses the wrong format. The three options are as follows.
· ‘Use Best Available’
· ‘Dolby Digital 5.1’
· ‘’Stereo’
You can cycle between these three options to see which one makes your sound work again. To get to these settings, follow the pathways again.
Settings > Video and Audio > Audio Format > Change Format
Apple TV HBO Max Won’t Download nor Install
This issue relates to the network connection. You can find more about troubleshooting your network connection above.
However, if the app won’t install, try checking your Apple TV’s storage space. This can be done using the pathway below. It may be that you need to delete other apps to make room for the 75 MBs of space required by the HBO Max app.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on June 29, 2021.
Settings > General > Manage Storage
Apple TV HBO Max Login Problems
If you cannot log into the HBO Max app on your Apple TV, check that you have put in the correct password and that it is case sensitive.
If your login issues persist, you can either try the ‘Forgot Password’ option, or you can try restarting the Apple TV. Make sure your network is also working; this can cause a disruption when the HBO Max app is trying to connect to the HBO server.
Apple TV HBO Max Black/Blank Screen/No Picture
No picture on the HBO Max app generally means that the video signal is not being sent to the TV or that it is incompatible with the TV. Make sure your HDMI cable is not loose or faulty and that the HDMI port in the TV is working.
If it is, the next issue may relate to the quality of the content you are trying to stream from HBO Max. If it is HD or 4K content, this may require a high-speed HDMI cable. Always check that your cable is compatible with the content you are streaming as most HDMI cables will advertise their capabilities on the box.
You should also try the troubleshooting methods mentioned at the beginning of this article.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on June 29, 2021.