How To Fix a Device When HBO Max Won’t Play

You can watch a great variety of amazing content on HBO Max, but there can be times when the service fails to connect properly. Whether it’s a software glitch or a problem with the network, losing your connection to HBO Max can be very annoying.

In this article, we’ll show you the available solutions when HBO Max won’t play on your device.

HBO Max Won’t Play on TV

If you’re streaming HBO Max on a smart TV, there can be several reasons why it won’t play. Listed below are some of the most common errors for HBO Max on TV and how to deal with them:

Software Bug

One of the most common reasons for HBO Max failing to load is a glitch in the application. This can be easily remedied by restarting the HBO Max app or restarting your TV. Minor glitches can be caused by almost anything, but they never cause permanent damage to any of your equipment. If you’re seeing a blank screen where the HBO Max menu should be, try giving it a quick restart.

HBO Max Is Offline

Another reason why HBO Max refuses to play is that the service itself is down. This can happen occasionally, and there’s nothing you can do but wait for the service to come back up. To check if HBO Max is currently out of service, do the following:

1. Proceed to Downdetector.com
2. On the search bar type in HBO Max then press enter.
   
3. You’ll be shown the current status of the service and whether or not other people have reported outages as well. Downdetector also shows an outage map to show areas that are currently experiencing problems.
   

Once you’ve determined if the service is down, all that’s left to do is to wait for HBO Max to fix the connection problems.

Wi-Fi Errors

This is also a common problem but has nothing to do with the service itself. If your HBO Max app won’t seem to load, check to see if your local Wi-Fi network isn’t experiencing a problem. If other devices in your house don’t have a Wi-Fi signal, then your Wi-Fi might be offline. Restart your router to see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn’t, try to contact your ISP to see if their service is down. Network problems may also be the cause of buffering issues when watching programs due to increased traffic on your local network.

App Cache Is Full

If HBO Max isn’t working on one of your devices but is operating just fine on others, your mobile might have a full app cache. Your device will save application data on local storage and depending on how big your memory is, it might get full quickly. You can empty your app cache on Android by doing the following:

1. On your mobile, open “Device Settings” from the Apps Menu.
2. Tap on “Apps and Notifications.”
3. Browse the app list for HBO Max. If you can’t see the app, tap on “See all apps” or type in HBO Max in the search bar.
4. Tap on “Storage.”
5. Tap on “Clear Cache.”

For iOS users, there’s no way to manually clear the cache. You’ll need to uninstall the HBO Max app then redownload it from the Apple App Store. Once the cache is emptied or the app is reinstalled, try to open HBO Max again.

Too Many Devices on the Network

If you have multiple devices streaming HBO Max on your local network, you might be beyond the device limit for your account. To check if there are too many people connected to the account at once, do the following:

1. Open the HBO Max app.
2. Tap on your profile icon.
   
3. Choose “Manage devices” from the menu.
   
4. This will show all devices that are currently streaming HBO Max on your network.

Error Code 100 and 420

The HBO Max app is region-locked, and some countries may have limited services as compared to others. If you’re using a VPN, HBO Max might be detecting your location improperly, thus giving you either an Error Code 100 or Error Code 420. Check to see if you have your VPN currently turned on. If so, disable it. You may need to reset HBO Max for it to properly detect your location.

HBO Max Won’t Play on Roku

HBO Max is a recent addition to the Roku lineup. As such, it may experience a few hiccups during use. Here are the most common solutions when HBO Max isn’t playing on Roku:

Restart the Application

Either the HBO Max app or Roku itself can be experiencing a glitch. A quick restart may fix the problem.

Update Roku

Roku requires constant updates to ensure all programs are working properly. If you haven’t used Roku for a while, or haven’t updated to the newest version then update your software, here’s how it’s done:

1. Press “Home” on your Roku remote.
   
2. From the menu, choose “Settings.”
   
3. Select “System.”
   
4. Choose “System Update.”
   
   

Check for Common Errors

Many of the errors that can be experienced on TV can also happen when using Roku. Check the list under the section regarding HBO Max not playing on TV to see if it applies to your problems.

HBO Max Won’t Play on Laptop

If you’re watching HBO Max on a laptop and it fails to play properly, there are a few quick solutions to try to fix the problem:

Restarting the Computer

The playback error might be caused by a simple glitch. This can be easily solved by restarting your laptop.

Updating Your Browser

The HBO Max app will often update its software whenever a new version of a browser is released. This ensures that both the app and browser are compatible. If you haven’t updated your browser in a while, doing so may fix the errors concerning app playback.

Changing Browsers

If a browser has been updated but the HBO Max app hasn’t t been made compatible with it, playback might become affected. Try switching to another browser if both your app and browser are fully updated but HBO Max still refuses to play.

Common Errors

Errors that occur on devices like TVs may also happen to laptops. Check the solutions already indicated on the TV section of this article to see if it fixes your problems.

HBO Max Won’t Play on AirPlay

If you’re using an Apple TV to watch HBO max, then using AirPlay allows you to stream it seamlessly between your connected devices.

Devices Aren’t AirPlay Compatible

Check to see if the devices that you want to use AirPlay with are capable of doing so. If one of your devices isn’t AirPlay-compatible, then you can’t stream HBO Max using it.

Devices Might Not Be on the Same Network

Make sure that both your Apple TV and the device you’re streaming from are on the same local network.

Testing Common Errors

Many of the errors that occur on other smart TVs can also happen with the Apple TV. Check the usual TV errors as indicated above to see if there’s a solution to your problem.

HBO Max Won’t Play on PS5

The PS5, in addition to being a top-of-the-line console, can natively play streaming services. If HBO Max isn’t working on your PS5, these might be some of the causes:

Your PS5 or the HBO Max App Might Not Be Updated

Check to see if you have the latest version of the HBO Max app and the current PS5 drivers. If not, update the application or download the latest drivers then restart your PS5.

Reset Your PS5 Settings

On occasion, when you adjust your PS5 settings to improve your gameplay it might cause other applications to stop working. Reset your settings to the default to see if that fixes the problem.

Check for Common Errors

Some of the errors that are present on TVs may also happen to the console. Check the list of common problems as related to errors on the TV to see if their solutions can work for your predicament.

Troubleshooting Problems

Knowing how to troubleshoot the situation when HBO Max won’t play reduces the headaches that you may experience when an outage does happen. The app may only experience errors once in a while, but if you know how to deal with them, they won’t present much of a problem.

Do you know of other solutions when HBO Max won’t play on a device? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.