HBO Max is a streaming service that requires a subscription and provides a huge selection of TV shows, movies, and original content. Some of its popular offerings include Game of Thrones, its prequel House of the Dragon, The Sopranos, and many more. So, when you get a subscription to HBO Max, and it doesn’t work, then it can get pretty frustrating, which is why we are going to find out the reasons for HBO Max not working on iPhone and some possible solutions to fix them.
Reasons why HBO Max not working on iPhone
There are several reasons why the HBO Max might not be working on your iPhone. However, all the issues can be of two types: either because of the HBO Max app or the iPhone. So, in this section, we will be learning about the possible reasons why the HBO Max is not working on your iPhone.
HBO Max is not compatible with your Country/Region
Only the United States, a few countries in Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands, offer the HBO Max streaming service. You can check out the actual list of the countries where HBO Max is available for streaming on their site. So, if you are in a country not on the list of supported countries, HBO Max won’t play.
You could get a VPN on your iPhone to get around this problem and stream HBO Max from a region that has been geo-restricted. However, this move has its own problems. First of all, the use of VPNs slows down streaming speeds. So, the HBO Max might start playing, but it will take a lot of time to load or keep buffering. To solve this, you need a premium subscription from a reputed VPN service. Another point is HBO Max has teamed up with various GeoIP databases to crack down on VPN IP addresses to locate where are you contacting from and then block the IP address.
Note: When you click on the above link to check for the list of countries and regions where the HBO Max is available, if you are from a non-compatible region you’ll get a “Sorry, HBO MAX isn’t available in your region yet” message.
HBO Max servers are down
Another reason why the HBO Max app is also not working or playing on your iPhone or any other device is that their servers are down. This could be a global or region-specific phenomenon. It usually happens either due to technical issues or during the release of a highly anticipated movie or show. However, the good thing is these types of issues are not common, and they don’t stay down for long when they do occur. So, the best thing you can do in such cases has some patience and wait for it to be okay.
You can check for the status on the Twitter handle for HBO Max‘s help page. If there is a service outage anywhere, there will be tweets about it. Additionally, you can visit the Down Detector site for real-time updates on HBO Max’s operational status.
Check your internet connection
If you are using your iPhone for streaming HBO Max, then you are either using a data plan from your mobile network provider or using a WiFi network. And in many cases, you are using both services. So, if HBO Max won’t load on your iPhone, then there are a few things you need to check.
- If you are using a data plan from your provider, you need to check whether you haven’t used them all up or have sufficient data for further streaming. Sometimes lack of data might be why HBO Max isn’t working on your iPhone.
- If it is a WiFi network that you use for streaming HBO Max, check whether it is up and running. You can even try restarting your WiFi router. If none of these methods works, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and seek their help.
- Slower internet speeds can cause the HBO Max to keep on buffering. So, you need to check your internet speeds; if your internet speeds are low, contact your ISP and seek their help.
HBO Max App needs updating
Not updating your HBO Max app on your iPhone can cause issues. Apps launch new updates to provide new features. But more commonly, these updates also fix many issues or bugs you might be currently facing. So, if you find your HBO Max app or any other apps on your iPhone keep crashing or glitching, you need to check whether they have updates.
Here’s how to update the HBO Max app on your iPhone:
- Launch the App Store on your iPhone.
- Search for the HBO Max app
- If there is an update available, tap on the Update option.
Update your Device software
Updating your iPhone’s iOS is always a great practice. This brings in new features, enhances your current user experience, and solves several existing issues. So, just like keeping your HBO Max up-to-date, you must also update your iOS. Luckily, the steps are very straightforward.
Here’s how to update your iPhone:
- On your iPhone, head over to Settings > General.
- Next, you need to tap on Software Update.
- After that, if you see more than one update available, then choose the one that you want and Download and Install.
Check for Content and Privacy Restrictions
It is an important iPhone feature that lets a parent restrict age-inappropriate content on their child’s iPhone. So, if you are using an iPhone that might have had the Content & Privacy Restriction feature turned on, then it could be the reason why isn’t HBO Max not working on iPhone. So, you need to turn off your iPhone’s Content & Privacy Restriction feature. Here’s how to do it.
- Head over to Settings > Screen Time.
- Next, tap on Content & Privacy Restriction.
- After that, turn off Content & Privacy Restriction.
Sign-Out of your HBO Max account from other devices
If the HBO Max app is still not working properly on your iPhone, then signing out from your HBO Max account from all devices will help. With more than three devices streaming, the same HBO Max account can cause it to not work on your iPhone. So, log out from those devices and then try to stream HBO Max on your iPhone.
Now that you know why the HBO Max is not working on your iPhone, find out the reasons for it not work on your Smart TV. Reasons & Fixes for HBO Max App Not Working on Samsung TV
How to Fix HBO MAX not working on iPhone issues
Here we will share a few HBO Max troubleshooting tips for resolving your issues. So, if your HBO Max app is not working on your iPhone, then you can try using the following fixes.
Restart the HBO Max app on your iPhone
If the HBO Max app keeps buffering or freezing on your iPhone, you could try the tried and tested method of shutting it down and then turning it on. For this, you need to close the HBO Max app and then turn it on.
Here’s how to restart the HBO Max app on your iPhone:
- If you are a user of an iPhone X or newer model, you should swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle. And if you own an iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and earlier model, double press the Home button to show the preview of the most recently used apps.
- Next, swipe to the right or left to locate the HBO Max app and then swipe up to close it.
- After that, wait for a few seconds or one whole minute, and then start HBO Max again. To do this, tap on the HBO Max app icon on your iPhone.
Delete and Reinstall the HBO Max app on your iPhone
If your HBO Max app continues to keep on glitching or crashing, then you can try deleting the app and then reinstalling it on your iPhone. Here’s how to delete and then reinstall the HBO Max app on your iPhone.
- First, delete the HBO Max app from your iPhone. So, tap and hold on to the HBO Max app icon on your iPhone home screen. Then select ‘Remove App‘> ‘Delete App‘ to delete the app from your iPhone.
- After that, you need to reinstall the HBO Max app on your iPhone. For this, launch the App Store app and look for the HBO Max app.
- Next, tap on the cloud icon under the HBO Max app to reinstall it on your iPhone.
Restart your iPhone
If all the aforementioned fixes are not working and the HBO Max app is still not working on your iPhone, then you can try rebooting your iPhone. It is a simple troubleshooting tip you can try if HBO Max or any other app is frozen or unresponsive on your iPhone.
Here’s how to restart your iPhone.
- On your iPhone X and newer models, you need to press the side button and either of the volume buttons simultaneously until the power-off slider appears. And if you are using an older model, you need to press and hold the side button of your iPhone until the power-off slider appears.
- Next, you need to drag the slider and wait for 30 seconds for your iPhone to turn off.
- After that, to restart your iPhone, you need to press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears
Contact Customer support for help
If none of the above troubleshooting fixes doesn’t work, then the last resort should be to contact the customer center. You can contact HBO Max’s help center if the fault lies with the app and not your iPhone. And if the fault lies with your iPhone, you can look for a solution from Apple Support online or take your iPhone to the nearest Apple center.
Similar article: Why is Hulu App not working on iPhone? And How to Fix it?
Wrapping Up
Here we’ve covered the reasons for HBO Max not working on iPhone and provided some fixes to solve those issues. So, if you ever face issues like the HBO Max getting stuck on the loading screen or it keeps crashing or buffering, you can try out our fixes.
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