HBO Max Promises New App Within Months in Response to Numerous Online Complaints
If you have been unhappy with the performance of the HBO Max app, you aren’t alone. Many subscribers have posted on social media, sharing their inconveniences, based on their experiences while using the app on multiple devices. For all of those who have complained, there’s good news: a new and improved HBO Max app is officially in the works and will be available on some platforms before the end of 2021.
Several different types of bugs have been reported by HBO Max users while using the app. There have been issues with the rewind and fast-forward tools on Apple TV. When Apple TV users would change their subtitle and closed captioning settings, the HBO Max app would not save those changes between sessions, so users had to manually change their preferences every time they accessed the app. Roku users also ran into issues with the HBO Max app, including crashes and freezing.
In an interview with Vulture's Josef Adalian, a senior WarnerMedia exec revealed the company’s plans to create a brand new app for the streaming service. He said, “We’re going to replace every single connected TV app in the next four or five months.”
WarnerMedia’s decision to roll out a new app isn’t only in response to the complaints on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms. Last year, the company acquired You.i TV to improve the app. The exec is fully aware of the issues with the app. “We see the crash logs,” he says. “We’re not blind to it.”
The exec describes the new interface as “sophisticated and cool and sexier.” new app “It will be wildly better than what’s out there,” the exec says. “It will just work better across the board.”
The WarnerMedia exec said that the current app is a revamped version of HBO Go and HBO Now, which was not properly equipped to handle the streaming service. When the streaming service introduced its ad-supported tier in June, additional problems surfaced because of the necessary coding for the new structure. The app also became available in 39 countries, requiring subtitles for non-English speaking users, which was a huge task.
According to the Vulture article, when the new app is ready to go, Roku and PlayStation users will get it first. Based on that timeframe, the Apple TV app should be ready at the end of 2021. In 2022, the company plans to do a major mobile and web-based app update.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.