HBO Max to Completely Overhaul Buggy Apple TV App By End of Year

HBO Max will release a completely rebuilt Apple TV app by the end of the year to overcome a variety of issues users have experienced with the current version, according to a new report.

hbomax1
Shortly after Warnermedia removed its HBO Max offering from ‌Apple TV‌ Channels in May, an update to its subsequently released tvOS app essentially broke several features of the service.

In June, HBO Max dropped the native tvOS video player in favor of a custom video player, which introduced issues with fast-forwarding and rewinding video in the app.

Recognizing its mistake, HBO quickly reinstated the native tvOS video player UI. However, problems with playback control remained, while users have continued to report other issues to do with subtitles and audio description.

According to HBO Max execs who spoke to Vulture, these remaining errors should be corrected for all ‌Apple TV‌ users "within days," while subscribers can expect the rollout of a completely new app to match the needs of the current service.

"We're going to replace every single connected TV app in the next four or five months," said an unnamed WarnerMedia exec. Apple TV customers will likely have to wait until the end of the year for the new app to appear, and an overhaul of the mobile and web-based apps is planned for early 2022.

According to the report, the problems started when the company launched a new $10 ad-supported tier and expanded its app to 39 new countries in June. Integrating commercials into what had been an ad-free platform required the introduction of a whole new layer of app coding, and that's when the widely reported bugs were established.

WarnerMedia has also admitted that the current HBO Max app wasn't built from scratch, and has been running on a retrofitted version of the old HBO Go and HBO Now services, which were designed for a very different product. Hence the decision to start afresh with a completely new app, which has been in the works since at least late last year.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: HBO Max
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...

Top Rated Comments

Muzzakus Avatar
51 months ago
Just use the tvOS building blocks ffs. Apple, be your douche controlling selves and enforce GUI standards on atv. What’s the point of paying for the hardware if the apps are just the same as on a cheap Chinese android stick! Jesus wept!
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
51 months ago

Just use the tvOS building blocks ffs. Apple, be your douche controlling selves and enforce GUI standards on atv. What’s the point of paying for the hardware if the apps are just the same as on a cheap Chinese android stick! Jesus wept!
They should also force every channel to tie in with the TV app. I regularly forget about stuff in Netflix because it doesn't show up on my home screen the way things from HBO, Disney+, Hulu and Apple TV+ do.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
51 months ago
Nothing good has ever come from a complete rewrite, though.

We developers think it’s the easiest way to fix all bugs, but unless the underlying structural problems (like bad QA, wrong priorities) are fixed, it typically ends up worse.

Fingers crossed, though.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JBGoode Avatar
51 months ago
Great. I'll be happy when this is released as the current app is garbage.

I paused a movie last night and when I hit play again it started from a point 10 minutes earlier.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EyeTack Avatar
51 months ago

According to the report, the problems started when the company launched ('https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/02/hbo-max-ad-supported-tier-now-available/') a new $10 ad-supported tier
Taking it from both ends … sounds like cable with extra steps.

I remember the original attraction to cable was the limited intrusion of programming.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kerr Avatar
51 months ago
How about the bug that HBO Max is only available in the US?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)