13 Solutions to Fix HBO Max Not Working on PS5/PS4

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Emma
January 3, 2024

The Media area of your PS5 console(TV & Video tab on PS4 console) user interface brings a selection of free and paid streaming services together in one place, letting you find and launch the latest episodes, movies and recommended shows at the touch of a button. That said, it supports a number of major streaming apps such as HBO Max(now renamed to Max), Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and several others.
However, videos streaming apps don’t always work smoothly on PS5/PS4. In this guide, we’ll show you several solutions to fix HBO Max not Working on your PS5/PS4.

1. Log out and log back in

  1. In Max, choose the Settings icon cog (lower left) and then Sign Out.
  2. Turn your PlayStation console off.
  3. Wait 20 seconds and turn your PlayStation back on.
  4. Open Max, sign in, and try using the app again.

2. Uninstall and Reinstall HBO Max

On PS5

  1. From the Media home menu on your PlayStation 5, highlight Max and then press the Options button on your controller.
  2. Choose Delete then OK.
  3. Reinstall Max (go to All Apps and download Max).
  4. Open Max, sign in, and try using the app again.

On PS4

  1. From the XMB home menu on your PlayStation, go to TV/Video Services.
  2. Highlight Max and then press the Options button on your controller.
  3. Choose Delete.
  4. Reinstall Max (go to the PlayStation Store and download Max).
  5. Open Max, sign in, and try using the app again.

3. Change the PS5 audio setting to Linear PCM

If the screen goes black when you hit play and then the app crashes. Try changing the PS5 audio setting to Linear PCM. HBO Max doesn’t support DTS or Dolby yet

4. Restore Licenses

Turn off the PS5, Unplug for 5 min, connect the controller by USB-C Data cable to the PS5, Plug back in, press and hold the power button until you hear 2 beeps (second beep is 3-5 seconds after the first beep), use the controller instructions until you get into the Safe mode menu, select Clear Cache and Rebuild Database – Clear Cache. When system comes up, turn it off and restart in Safe Mode again, and choose Clear Cache and Rebuild Database, this time select Rebuild Database, allow the system to come up and log into your account.

Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses. When the system is done restoring licenses, reinstall HBO Max and see if it works.

5. Relaunch the Max app

Closing and restarting the non-working app is often an easy and effective way to fix app issues in PS4/PS5. If you haven’t tried it yet make sure that you force quit Max

6. Update the Max app

Another way to fix Max issues on the PS5/PS4 is to ensure that the app is updated. Make sure that you manually check for update for Max with these steps.

  1. Go to the Home Screen, select the Media tab on top, highlight the Max and press the options button on your controller.
  2. Select Check for Update.

7. Power cycle the PS5/PS4

The other simple way to fix HBO Max issues on the PS5/PS4 is to reboot the console. In fact, this can be done if you are having any other issues with your other apps such as Netflix, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. you can restart the PS5/PS4 with these steps.

  1. Press the PS button on your controller.
  2. Select the power icon at the bottom.
  3. Select restart PS5 option.

8. Check the Max server status

If you can’t watch Max on your PS5/Ps4 make sure that you check if there’s any ongoing server issues. Open Max app on your mobile or visit https://www.max.com/ via mobile/desktop browser and check if you can stream Max content.

9. Check PSN server status

Another possible reason why HBO Max may not be working on your PS5/PS4 is an ongoing PSN server issue. Apps like HBO Max need to communicate with PlayStation servers in order to work in your PS5. Playstation users will be unable to access online functions during server maintenance or outages. To view PlayStation Network status you can go to the official website of PlayStation.

10. Reboot your Wi-Fi router

If the issue remains even though there is no server issues at all, the next solution to try is to ensure that your internet connection is working on your console. To do that the first thing that you want to do is to restart your router. Just turn off the router normally and unplug the power cable from it for 20 seconds. Afterwards, plug everything back in, wait for the lights to become stable and check HBO Max on your PS5 again.

11. Update console software

Update your console’s OS may help. Here’s how.

  1. Make sure that your PS5 is connected to the internet.
  2. Go to Settings – System – System Software – System Software Updates and Settings.
  3. Go to Update System Software.

12. Use different DNS settings

You can also try to see if switching to a public DNS like that of Google’s will make a difference here. Sometimes your ism’s DNs go down or become slow or block certain websites, so you can try to change your DNS settings with these steps.

  1. Go to your PS5 Home Screen,
  2. Go to Settings – Network – Settings – Set Up Internet Connection.
  3. Go to the bottom option and select Set Up Manually.
  4. Select Use Wi-Fi or Use a LAN Cable.
  5. Select DNS Settings.
  6. Change the Secondary DNS to 8844 , select Done.

If you have done everything but HBO Max still crash, lag or freeze on PS4/PS5, you nay consider watch HBO Max on PS4/PS5 offline.

13. Play HBO Max on PS4/PS5 from USB drive

If you often encounter issues while streaming HBO Max content on PS4/PS5, the best alternative is to download Max movies and TV shows to MP4 and then play them on PS4/PS5 from USB drive.

Tool Required: Pazu HBO Max Downloader

Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader stands out as the ultimate solution for Mac and PC users seeking to download HBO Max videos. This robust tool empowers you to preserve HBO Max content in the form of high-definition MP4 or MKV files while maintaining impeccable 5.1 surround audio quality. Moreover, it offers the flexibility to customize various output parameters for HBO Max videos to your preferences, including quality, size, bitrate, subtitle language, and audio settings.

Furthermore, Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader showcases its efficiency by enabling batch downloads from HBO Max, leveraging your computer’s hardware acceleration to significantly expedite the process. This not only simplifies the management of your HBO Max video collection but also saves you substantial time during conversions. Once downloaded, you’re free to transfer and enjoy HBO Max videos on various devices from your Mac or PC without any limitations.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Download HBO Max movies & TV shows to MP4 with HD quality. 

  • Download HBO Max movies & TV shows on Mac/Windows.
  • Download HBO Max video in 1080P.
  • Preserve multilingual audio tracks and subtitles.
  • Fast downloading speed.

With Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader, you can easily search and download any movies and TV shows including HBO Max original series to your Mac or PC, then save them to MP4 or MKV format with all audio tracks and subtitles. Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader allows you to save all your favorite HBO Max videos on your devices without the HBO Max app, and then you do not need to worry about the device limits any more, you can watch them on any Mac/PC offline with ease.

In the following guide, we will show you how to use Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader to download HBO Max movies or TV shows to MP4 or MKV format with high quality on the Mac/PC.

Step 1. Run Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader on your Mac.

Download, install and launch Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader on your Mac. Log in your HBO Max account.

Click the key icon and enter your registration code to unlock the full version if you have purchased a license. If you haven’t, go ahead with the free trial version.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 2. Search HBO Max movies/TV shows to download.

Search the shows and movies you want to download. Enter the movie/TV show title in the search field.

You will get the same results as you search from HBO Max website or app as HBO Max Video Downloader features powerful HBO Max search engine.

Or copy&paste the link of the movie/TV show from HBO Max website. Then click the Search icon.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 3. Choose video format/quality

After selecting movie or TV show you want to download, you need to select the video format, codec, audio and subtitle languages, output folder, etc. by clicking on the setting icon.

  • Video format: MP4 or MKV
  • Video codec: H264 or H265
  • Audio language: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, 简体中文.
  • Subtitle language: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, 简体中文.
  • Subtitle type: Embedded subtitles, Hardcode subtitles, Independent subtitles
  • After converting: Open the output folder or put the computer to sleep.
  • Interface language: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, 简体中文.
HBO Max to MP4

Step 4. Start downloading HBO Max movies and TV shows

You can start downloading by clicking on the downloading icon along the side of the TV show or movie.

If your selection is a movie, click  icon next to it and the downloading begins.

After the movie is downloaded, click History button to quickly locate it. 

If your selection is a TV show, click  icon next to it to select episodes you want to download.

Before downloading, you can also click  to choose subtitles and audio tracks for each episode.

Click “OK” to close the Audio/Subtitle Windows and then click “Download” to start downloading the episodes you choose.

download HBO Max to MP4

Further, if required you can change the subtitle and audio track by clicking on the gear-like icon.

After conversion, you will find the TV show episodes in MP4 format in the output folder without ads. To see all the downloaded items, go to the History tab.

download HBO Max movie to MP4

5. Transfer HBO Max movies and TV shows to USB drive and play on PS5

After downloading HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4, transfer them to a USB drive. Make sure the USB drive is formatted with either the exFAT or FAT32 file system. Maximum video resolution is 3840 x 2160.

1. Create a Movies folder in the root directory of the USB drive on your computer, and then place the downloaded HBO Max video files in the folder.  

2. Connect the USB drive to your PS5/PS4 console. 

3. Select Media Gallery from Game Library on your PS5. On PS4, select Media Player from the content area. 

4. Then select USB. Click the Movies folder, a list of video files on your USB drive appears. Select a file to play it. 

HBO Max Video Downloader

HBO Max Video Downloader

Download HBO Max Video movies and TV shows to MP4/MKV on your PC/Mac