[Update: Sept. 02] HBO Max bug tracker: Reported or officially acknowledged issues, pending improvements, and development status

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on June 5, 2021) follows:

Given the huge number of streaming services these days, a service must include exclusive shows and movies people can’t stand to miss to survive the video streaming wars.

And this is where HBO Max shines. Sure, HBO Max does have a smaller library than other services, but its base collection can’t be easily beaten.

With critically acclaimed recently released shows like Friends: The Reunion, Raised by Wolves, Love Life, Made for Love, and Veneno, it’s pretty clear that subscribers aren’t going to run out of great HBO exclusives any time soon.

Subscribers can literally use almost every available platform be it Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Samsung smart TV platforms to watch their favorite stuff to their heart’s content.

And as for Mac, Windows, and Chromebook users, one can always use the desktop web player.

Being such a widely used service that’s available on almost every possible platform means that there are new bugs and issues popping up every now and then.

Obviously, it isn’t easy to keep track of bugs that have been acknowledged or fixed and those that are still pending acknowledgment.

Therefore, on this bug tracker, we will be tracking the status of all existing HBO Max bugs and issues to the best of our abilities in order to help you save time.

There are also improvements suggested by users that occasionally get scooped up by the HBO Max devs if they gather enough requests. We will be tracking those here too.

The bug tracker will be updated regularly with new bugs or when there is any development on existing bugs, issues, or pending improvements on HBO Max so stay tuned.

03:45 pm (IST): Apparently, the subtitles issue with Gomorrah on HBO Max has finally been fixed according to HBO’s Andy Forssell on Twitter. Head here for the full story.

02:15 pm (IST): HBO app on Samsung TVs reportedly ‘breaks the system’s remote’s conventions.’ The play/pause button brings up options about using Samsung’s “Bixby” voice features.

Thankfully, HBO Max exec. says that they’re working on a fix for the issue and it should be released as early as the next build.

02:25 pm (IST): HBO is reportedly not working properly on Roku and trying to play videos takes users back to the home screen. HBO has the following to say regarding the issue:

Hi, we are aware of this and have a work-around you can try if uninstalling and reinstalling HBO Max from the Roku Streaming Channels store does not help. Please DM us for more details. Thanks.
Source

12:13 pm (IST): HBO Max has once again enabled the Apple TV native player support after receiving a lot of complaints from users regarding the same. Head here for more details on the matter.

11:49 am (IST): Apparently, HBO Max is still working on fixing the captions issue with Gomorrah season 4 according to official support. More details here.

08:40 pm (IST): It seems that some HBO Max subscribers users are experiencing issues with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on Amazon Firestick 4K. HBO Max Help has now said that they are investigating the said issues.

12:13 pm (IST): HBO Max support has confirmed that they’re aware of some issues on consoles including the ‘Oops something went wrong’ message after the credits start and the next episode box pops up and are working to fix them.

Apart from that, the team has also confirmed that they’re going to release an update for the Roku app to address the auto-logout bug and have also claimed that they’re aware of the cursor bug on Macs.

07:00 pm (IST): 1. HBO Max app on PS4 doesn’t allow users to look at the entire queue at once on TV but thankfully, a fix is coming soon for the issue.

2. Some The Batman (2004) episodes are missing on HBO Max and a company executive has responded that they currently do not have the rights to stream them.

3. Some Android 11 users report that bad scaling cuts off the subtitle button as well as moves the video really far right on the screen. Thankfully, HBO team is aware of the cut-off and is working on a player redesign.

10:58 am (IST): HBO Max has sent out a spam email to thousands of its subscribers, an email with the subject “Integration Test Email #1.” This has caused quite the stir online and you can learn more on that here.

11:50 am (IST): Many HBO Max users have been reporting that the audio description does not turn off even after manually toggling off the feature.

The support team has confirmed that they’re aware of the issue on Android TVs and are working on a fix.

We are aware that some users are having difficulties with audio and audio description on Android TVs and working towards a resolution now. (Source)

03:50 pm (IST): Several Google Chromecast users have started reporting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) that they are an ‘error 905’ message while streaming Last Week Tonight on the HBO Max application. The majority of users experiencing the problem have the Chromecast Ultra model.

HBO Max’s support team confirmed that they fixed the issue earlier this month but it seems that many users continue to face the issue.

07:15 pm (IST): It seems users of the Samsung smart TVs are facing the playback issues with HBO Max where the app keeps freezing or crashing but the same is being investigated. More details here.

12:30 pm (IST): HBO Max subscribers are having trouble logging in on Xfinity boxes as per several reports. HBO Max on Twitter says that they’re aware of the issue and are working on a fix.

12:50 pm (IST): Several PS5 users are running into the ‘Oops! Something went wrong’ error on the HBO Max app. HBO is already working on a fix.

01:00 pm (IST): Some users report that no subtitles are available for Gomorrah Season 4, episode 7 onwards when streaming from Pixel or MacBook to Chromecast. But it’s available for earlier episodes/seasons. HBO says that the issue has now been resolved.

07:30 pm (IST): According to a recent report from Twitter, HBO Max has fixed the issue where users were unable to stream content on the Comcast box (X1 devices).

Hey, thanks so much for your patience as we’ve investigated this issue. We just released an update for X1 devices that should help you stream smoothly again – can you please try streaming again and letting us know if you continue to run into trouble? Thanks. ^SL
Source

11:43 pm (IST): Some users are reporting that the HBO Max app is returning them to the home screen when they’re trying to play anything. HBO just released an update to resolve it though.

08:25 pm (IST): HBO Max users are still facing the issue where the subtitles alignment is making the content unwatchable. It seems that this issue has been inconveniencing users for quite some time now.

06:20 pm (IST): HBO Max support has acknowledged that there is an issue with Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 10 at the 31:52 mark and the same is being looked into by the relevant team.

Thanks for the info. It was enough of an approximation to locate the problem at 31:52. We were able to duplicate the issue. We have passed this on to our team to resolve it and we will update you once it is resolved. Thanks. ^SL
Source

06:25 pm (IST): The issue where the HBO Max app freezes and crashes back to the home screen on Roku devices is still troubling many users. Check out the complete coverage by heading here.

06:46 pm (IST): The ‘Oops! Something went wrong’ issue that has been affecting HBO Max across several platforms has been fixed. Head here for details.

08:02 pm (IST): Reports now indicate that users of the HBO Max service are unable to update the app on their Samsung Smart TVs. For more on this issue, check out our coverage of the same here.

11:05 am (IST): HBO Max users now report that the autoplay feature appears to be broken as the service repeats the same episode instead of going to the next one. The company says it is aware of this and is working on a solution. More on this here.

09:05 am (IST): The autoplay feature has been fixed according to a recent tweet from HBO MAX Help on Twitter. More on that here. They’ve also acknowledged the missing subtitles from Gossip Girl.

11:55 am (IST): HBO Max support has confirmed that they’re aware of the audio and video sync issues with Rush Hour 2 and are working on a fix for it.

we’re aware that some of our users are experiencing a sync issue with Rush Hour 2 and are working to get this resolved as soon as possible. (Source)

03:19 pm (IST): The streaming service’s support team has confrimed that they’re aware that Gomorrah is only available in the dubbed version. A fix is in the works but there’s no ETA.

We’re aware that it’s currently only showing the dubbed version of Gomorrah. We’ve escalated this issue and a resolution is in the works. (Source)

03:24 pm (IST): Those who’re facing the cursor bug wherein the cursor does not disappear while the media is playing are suggested to switch browsers as a temporary workaround by HBO Max support.

We’re aware of the cursor issue and appreciate your patience while we work on a fix – switching browsers should work as a temporary workaround. (Source)

01:24 pm (IST): Just in case you’re trying to figure out how to access the HBO Max app on your LG TV, please be informed that you need a streaming device for doing so. Here is what LG support USA has to say regarding this:

Thanks for reaching out. Since HBO has not provided an app that is compatible with LG Smart TVs, you need to connect a streaming device to the TV that is compatible with HBO Max in order to view that content.

And here’s what HBO Max support says:

Hi, thank you for contacting us. HBO Max isn’t available on LG Smart TVs right now, but we’re working to make HBO Max available on as many devices as possible. Stay tuned for updates.

For a list of supported devices, visit https://hbom.ax/3wMdpz0. Thanks.

11:35 pm (IST): 1. Some HBO Max subscribers are getting an “Oops something went wrong. Service code: H-4addca-39-877f-48bd-a474-ed0acffb7888” error when trying to watch Wonder Woman ’84 to which HBO Max has responded that they’re aware of the issue.

2. Some users have reported that they don’t see any closed captions for S2E3 of Doom Patrol to which HBO Max responded by saying that the issue has now been resolved.

02:14 pm (IST): The HBO Max app crash issues on Roku devices have now been acknowledged and a fix is in the works. Head here for details.

02:14 pm (IST): HBO Max casting issues on Android and iOS have been present for quite some time now and an official statement on the fix is yet to materialize. Details here.

03:57 pm (IST): It seems that HBO Max subscribers have started noticing that the content buffers a lot or the app freezes more often than not as highlighted by Redditors on this thread and even by several Android users on the Play Store.

05:50 pm (IST): When subscribed through iTunes to HBO Max, users are not able to restore their purchases on the app.

Instead, they get the “Sorry we can’t reach iTunes right now. Please try again later” error. The company says they are aware of the issue.

06:30 pm (IST): A recent Bloomberg report has highlight that HBO Max users, particularly those with Roku devices, are pretty unhappy with the user experience due to the constant crashing, freezing, and more issues. More on that here.

10:50 am (IST): Roku has acknowledged an issue with a mislabeled Scooby-Doo episode, noting that they’re working on a resolution. The company also notes that the bug causing users to not be able to access the platform has been resolved.

12:05 am (IST): It’s been nearly a month since users started facing issues with Rush Hour 2 on HBO Max, however, the problem has still not been fixed. The company’s support team has confirmed that they’re still working on fixing it.

We’re aware of an audio sync problem with “Rush Hour 2” and are still working on resolving this issue. (Source)

01:05 pm (IST): The HBO Max crashing issue on Roku devices now has an officially recommended workaround. Head here to know more.

04:15 pm (IST): HBO Max help has once again confirmed they’re still working to fix the audio issue with Rush Hour 2 and hope that a fix will be out “soon”. But there’s no ETA, yet again.

12:11 pm (IST): An affected user on the community forum has brought forward a few suggestions that should see affected Samsung TV owners be able to update their HBO Max app on their TVs.

We can’t speak to the effectiveness of this workaround but we shall be sure to report back as soon as we get feedback from affected users so stay tuned.

IST: 12:43 pm: Now, HBO Max has come out to offer an official workaround to this issue, a workaround that involves resetting the Smart Hub

If you’re using a Samsung Smart TV, we can suggest you try a Smart Hub reset (which also clears all apps and settings) and then after the TV reboots, try installing the HBO Max app first, before the TV starts downloading updates to the internal apps. Thanks. ^SL
Source

IST: 12:51 pm: HBO Max now says it is aware of the bug afflicting a number of smart devices, an issue causing problems when users try to fast forward or rewind shows.

Hi there, we’re aware at this time of the FF & RW issues on some devices and we’re working to get this resolved. In the meantime we recommend updating the app and your Samsung TV software to hopefully help with the glitching. Let us know if you need further help! ^GB

Source

IST: 05:20 pm: HBO Max subscribers would be pleased to know that the company is working on developing a brand new application after receiving feedback about the various bugs and issues with the existing app. More details here.

IST: 01:34 pm: New reports now indicate that HBO Max plans to completely overhaul the buggy Apple TV app by the end of the year. More on that here.

IST: 05:40 pm: HBO Max subscribers who’re getting the ‘Service Code: H-817ec5e1-d4e1-4eff-81e8-91e170301cce’ error can try clearing the cache and restarting their browser to fix the problem according to HBO Max Help.

IST: 05:36 pm: The bug with Audio Descriptions is still haunting users several weeks after it popped up. HBO Max support claims that a they’re working to get this fixed “soon,” but that does not seem to be the case.

Wanted to let you know our team is aware and working to get this fixed soon. (Source)

IST: 05:53 pm: YouTube has confirmed that it is working on a fix for a bug that’s preventing HBO Max subscribers from using their YouTube TV credentials to access the app.

Thanks for reaching out – we’ve seen similar reports from other members about issues accessing the HBO Max app using their YouTube TV credentials. Note that our team is already looking into it. (Source)

IST: 01:26 pm: A section of HBO Max subscribers not that Season 4 of Search Party is suddenly missing from the platform.

Now, HBO Max Help says they are aware of this issue and are currently looking into it.

Hey there, we hear you! Our team is aware of the issue and are currently looking into it. We appreciate your patience as we do what we can to correct this. Thanks! ^GB
Source

IST: 06:08 pm: HBO Max is now again urging users to update the app and their Roku devices to fix the issue where Roku dashboards the app when trying to load/resume a show or movie.

IST: 06:17 pm: Army Of Darkness on HBO Max is not playing as per subscribers as it throws an error message every time it is clicked. HBO says that they’re aware of the problem and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

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