Fix HBO Max Not Working On Roku [Free Online Tool]

If you’re struggling to get HBO Max working on your Roku, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we list several confirmed fixes, listed in the order that will get you the fastest results.

Once you find the solution that works for you, don’t forget to vote (no registration required), so we can help others with the same issue.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

A common reason for HBO MAx suddenly not working on Roku is a broken or weak WiFi connection. You can fix this by restarting your WiFi router. Other common solutions include restarting your Roku device (by unplugging it), checking for software updates, or uninstalling Netflix and then reinstalling it.

We’ve also included some useful information at the bottom of this article, including:

• The most common fixes (according to real data from our users)
• Charts showing any recent spikes in issue activity
• Widespread historical issues
• A complete list of error codes with associated fixes

Check your internet connection

There are several internet connection issues that can prevent HBO Max from working properly on your Roku.

Even if you’re reading this article on the same internet connection as your Roku, make sure to check these common issues:

• Is your WiFi working (is it connected to the internet)?
• Is the WiFi signal too weak?
• Do you have a slow download speed?
• Is a VPN causing connection issues?

With the first issue, HBO Max won’t load at all.

If it’s one of the other three issues, HBO Max may load, but be very slow and have buffering issues.

Note: if other internet-requiring apps are working fine, this isn’t your issue and you can skip these steps.

Is your wifi working?

Try to access your WiFi on another device, such as your phone.

Or run a network connectivity test on your Roku via:

settings > network > check connection

If it doesn’t work, you’ve likely found your problem – the WiFi is down.

You can usually fix WiFi issues by restarting your router and checking all the physical connections are in place. If this doesn’t fix it, you’ll need to contact your provider. 

Is your wifi signal strong enough?

If the WiFi is working, the next thing to check is your signal strength (this is a common issue if you’ve just moved or set up your Roku).

Run a network connectivity test on your Roku via settings > network > check connection.

The results will show you two important metrics.

• Signal strength 
• Internet download speed 

If they’re both fair, good, or excellent, skip the next steps until you reach restart your Roku.

If either of the results are poor, keep reading. 

Signal strength 

If the signal strength is poor, your Roku and HBO Max are going to suffer from performance issues.

There are two solutions to poor signal strength:

• Move the TV / Roku
• Use a WiFi extender

Move the TV / Roku

Your Roku could be too far from the WiFi router, in which case you’ll need to move it (and the TV closer).

Your Roku could also be in a ‘WiFi dead zone’, which is a small area of weak signal, sometimes close to the router. Some surprising things can affect WiFi signals, such as fish tanks or plants.

If this is the case, moving the Roku around slightly can help.

Elevating the Roku or moving it from directly behind the TV are good places to start (a HDMI extender can come in very useful here).

Use a wifi extender

If you can’t (or don’t want to) move the Roku, you can bring the WiFi closer to the TV with an extender.

WiFi extenders boost the signal in areas where it’s a bit patchy.

I have several of these TP-Link RE315 extenders dotted around my house. They’re super reliable little workhorses that barely cost anything. Money well spent if you’re constantly running into weak connection issues.

Internet download speed

If your signal is fine, but the internet download speed is poor, it could be that another device on the WiFi is ‘stealing’ all the power by streaming or downloading big files.

Or you could just have slow internet.

You could try using an ethernet connection instead of a wireless connection (if your HBO Max allows). This generally results in faster speeds.

If this doesn’t work, contact your ISP (internet service provider) to discuss upgrade options.

What download speeds do you need for HBO Max on Roku?

• To stream HD video, you need >5 Mbps
• You need a download speed of at least 25 Mbps to stream 4K, but HBO recommends you have 50+ Mbps for best performance.

Turn off VPN (if you’re using one)

If you’re using a VPN, this could be the problem.

Using a VPN is technically against HBO Max’s terms of service, so if they detect you’re using one, the app won’t work.

VPN networks can also be unreliable, causing the connection to drop in and out.

I personally notice this when using cheaper, less stable VPNs. It can be extremely frustrating, especially as you’re not given any warning that the VPN is facing connection issues.

Simply turn your VPN off and see if this fixes the problem.

If it did, it may be time to consider a new VPN provider.

reset network settings

If you or anyone you live with has tampered with the network settings on your Roku or WiFi router (e.g by adding custom DNS settings), this could be affecting HBO Max.

To fix this, reset your network settings to default.

Or you can change to another well know DNS server, and see if this fixes the issue.

Restart your Roku

If the WiFi is working fine, the next thing to do is restart your Roku. Restarting your device can solve a whole host of problems.

There are three ways to restart your Roku.

Manual restart

1. Sign out of HBO Max (you can do this via your phone or laptop if needed)
2. Unplug the Roku from the wall
3. Wait for at least 10 seconds (but I’d say 30 to make sure)
4. Plug the Roku back in and turn it on

Menu restart

1. Sign out of HBO Max (you can do this via your phone or laptop if needed)
2. Navigate to the Roku homepage (you can press the home button on the remote)
3. Select Settings
4. Select System
5. Select Power (if you don’t see this option, skip to the next step)
6. Select System restart
7. Wait for the Roku to restart

Remote restart

1. Sign out of HBO Max (you can do this via your phone or laptop if needed)
2. Press the home button 5 times
3. Press the up arrow 1 time
4. Press the rewind button 2 times
5. Press the fast forward button twice
6. This should force a restart

Once the Roku has restarted, check to see if HBO Max is working again.

And don’t worry, resetting the Roku won’t do anything to the setup of your device (but a Factory reset does, more on this below).  You’re just clearing the cache.

All your settings and channels will remain (although you may have to log back into certain channels).

Verify that HBO Max isn’t the problem

The problem could also lie with the HBO Max app itself.

Try to access HBO Max via another device. If this works fine you can skip these steps.

If you have a problem on the second device too – you need to troubleshoot HBO Max.

Is HBO Max down?

This is unlikely to be the issue, but it’s quick and easy to check. HBO normally announces any widespread issues on Twitter.

e.g.

We’re aware that some customers can’t access HBO Max right now. Our team is working to resolve this as quickly as possible, and we’ll provide an update here as soon as one is available. Thank you for your patience.

— HBOMaxHelp (@HBOMaxHelp) February 16, 2022

To check if HBO Max is down, you can:

• Check HBO’s help Twitter for updates.
• Check on a site like down detector.

If there is indeed a user-wide problem with the app, all you can do is wait.

You could also check with Roku (via Twitter) and see if they are aware of any issues.

Have you reached your account limit or have you missed a payment?

HBO allows a maximum of 3 simultaneous streams at any one time.

So if three people are already using your account, it’s not going to work for you!

If you know who the culprits are, you’ll need to message them and tell them to get off.

If you’re not sure who’s using your account, you can remotely log yourself out of all devices via your HBO Max profile.

Also, make sure to check you’re up to date with all payments. If you’ve missed a payment, your account will stop working.

Check for updates

Software updates happen all the time. Your Roku should update automatically but for various reasons, this might not have happened. 

And if your software isn’t up to date it can cause issues (like HBO Max not working). 

You can manually check for updates by following these steps. You need to check both Roku and HBO Max. 

To check for Roku updates

1. Navigate to the Roku Homepage (you can press the home button on the remote)
2. Select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select System update
5. Select Check Now to manually check for updates

To check for HBO Max updates

1. Navigate to the HBO Max app
2. Press the * button on your remote
3. Select Check for updates

Sign in and out of HBO Max

This is a simple solution, but it often works and is less hassle than the next option (which is to completely uninstall the HBO Max app.)

In the HBO Max app, navigate to the settings menu.

You should then see the option to ‘log out / sign out’ at the bottom of the menu.

Sign back in and test if the problem is fixed.

Uninstall and reinstall HBO Max

Sometimes apps corrupt for a variety of complicated technical reasons.

To fix this, you can uninstall and reinstall your HBO Max app. 

Note: if you purchased your HBO Max subscription through Roku, then you will be unable to remove the channel unless you cancel your subscription.

To uninstall the HBO Max app

1. Navigate to the HBO Max app on your Roku
2. Press the * button on your remote
3. Press Remove app

You will then need to restart the Roku

This is very important – this will clear its memory so all traces of HBO Max will be gone.

After restarting the Roku, you can reinstall HBO Max: 

1. Press the Home button on your Roku remote
2. Scroll down to ‘Streaming channels’. This will take you to the channel store.
3. Press Okay
4. Scroll down and select Search channels
5. Type in HBO Max
6. Scroll to the right and select HBO Max
7. Press Add channel (you may be asked to enter your pin)

HBO Max will be at the bottom of your channel grid when it reinstalls, but you can move it up if you wish (via the * button on the remote). 

You will have to re-login to HBO Max when you open it.

Launch a program from the home page

You can also try playing your program by selecting it from the Roku homepage instead of via the app.

To do this:

1. Navigate to the Roku Homepage
2. Select Search
3. Search for a HBO Max series or movie
4. Select ‘open in HBO Max’

Note: this is more of a workaround rather than a fix. So once you’ve watched your show, I would still recommend restarting your device (if you haven’t already).

Factory reset

This should be the last port of call because doing a factory will completely erase the Roku. 

It will be back to how it was when you bought it. 

But if nothing else has worked, it’s worth trying.

There are two ways to perform a hard reset.

• Press the physical reset button on the Roku device for 10 seconds (you may need something thin like an earring, a straightened paper clip, or a sim opener). Then wait for the device to reset.
• Reset via settings

To Factory reset the Roku via settings

1. Press Home on your Roku remote
2. Select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select Advanced system settings
5. Select Factory reset
6. If you have a Roku TV, select Factory reset everything. Otherwise, move to the next step.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions

Once you have turned the Roku back on you will need to set it up again. You can follow the on-screen instructions to do this.

Contact support

Finally, you can always contact Roku or HBO Max customer support.

• Roku customer support: https://support.roku.com/contactus
• HBO Max customer support: https://help.hbomax.com/us/contactus

Let us know what worked