Users Complain HBO Changeover to Max Plagued With a Myriad of Problems

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

Posted on by Melanie Weir 5 Comments
HBO Max logos with people screaming in front changeover not seamless users angry

Credit: ITM

It’s been exactly a day since the monumental changeover from HBO Max to just plain Max, and users say it’s not going well.

This morning, Twitter has been flooded with a myriad of HBO and Max-related complaints, from the app not updating to not being able to sign in to signing in only to find an app full of glitches.

The changeover from HBO Max to just “Max” was announced in April but was originally decided on in a 2022 earnings call with CEO David Zaslav. The motive behind the project was to put together the company’s two “crown jewels” in one app and offer all of their entertainment would be available there.

The rebranding from HBO to just Max, a point of contention for many long-dedicated customers, was to ensure the HBO branding stayed with the content it always represented: Premium and adult-oriented content. Zaslav indicated that he did not want the HBO brand to become associated with the app’s other offerings – such as Cartoon Network content or the content that used to belong to Discovery+.

The company swore that customers would experience a seamless transition between the two apps – essentially subscribing to the same streaming service with extra offerings. Aside from the fact that even that wasn’t exactly true – several Cartoon Network shows that left just before the transfer is still unavailable – users have reported an experience that was anything but seamless.

Firstly, some users had to manually download the new app and delete their old one, while others didn’t. The unevenness shows that they could do it but were not yet sufficiently prepared for the app’s rollout.

User @PhllpBerry said:

I kept telling my wife we wouldn’t have to get a new app when @hbomax became @StreamOnMax because that was insane and HBO wasn’t idiots. Turns out they’re idiots, and so am I

Similarly, @TomZohar said:

Wait a second you have to manually DOWNLOAD a whole different APP to transition from HBOMax to MAX???

Related: Cartoon Network Fans Livid As HBO Pulls More Shows With No Warning

The issues didn’t end once people got the app downloaded, either. Once they got the app, some users couldn’t even sign in. Like @ElJohnMarcanas, who said:

well… they killed HBOMax and the new app doesn’t even let you sign in [crying emoji] what a joke

Even for those users who could sign in, a missing feature forced everyone through the mind-numbingly slow process of logging in on the TV by typing in each individual letter with the remote.

@WickedNFine complained:

Okay.. But can “Max” aka HBOMax bring back the sign in from browser feature??? I don’t wanna type my long email & password using my remote.

Related: These 5 Major Franchises Could Follow HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot

Even once they were signed in, the problems persisted. Users reported widespread problems in the first few days of using Max and were understandably displeased, as they had a perfectly functional app a few days ago.

User @cadeland said:

I don’t really care what HBOMax wants to call itself…but the updated app on Roku SUUUUUUUUCKS. Like, it’s almost unusable. How do you fumble a brand this badly?

User @TrumbullComic had issues with the app’s recommendation feature as well:

My critique of the new streaming Max (ugh)now that the switchover from HBOMax has occurred: Needs improvement.

Related: HBO Max’s Epic Rebranding Failure, and Warner Bros’ Stock Drop

In a later tweet, Trumbull also mentioned that he could no longer alphabetize his watchlist, a feature he frequently used on the old HBO app to find what he was looking for more easily.

(Speaking of finding things more easily, the app’s color switch from purple to blue makes it so the Max app gets lost in a sea of identical icons on users’ screens.)

Overall, the audience response to the changeover from HBO Max to Max betrays a sloppy and incomplete rollout that the company did not seem entirely prepared for. The app is full of glitches, constituting a service interruption for existing customers. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for those affected to receive compensation for the time that they could not access the app that they paid for.

What do you think of the switch from HBO to Max? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments.

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