HBO Max Working on App Fix for Playback Errors on Apple TV 4K Devices

HBO is working on a fix for "can't play title" errors that some users have been encountering in the HBO Max app for Apple TV, according to The Verge.

hbo max apple tv shadow
The issue, which has been widely reported by users, appears to occur on all generations of ‌Apple TV‌ 4K running tvOS 16.1 and the latest HBO Max app version 52.50.1, released November 16.

While some users have found the problem to be intermittent, others are unable to stream content at all without encountering the playback errors, although some have found workarounds that include force quitting the app, logging out of the app, reinstalling it, or restarting their ‌Apple TV‌.

HBO's SVP of communications Chris Willard told The Verge that they are aware of the issues and working on a fix that will be included in an upcoming update to the app.

Until then, two temporary troubleshooting tips suggested by HBO Max customer support include turning off HDR support (in Settings -> Video and Audio, change the Format to SDR, and disable Match Content, Match Dynamic Range, and Match Frame Rate options) and changing the resolution from 4K to 1080p or 720p.

Tag: HBO Max

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...

Top Rated Comments

Sheepish-Lord Avatar
40 months ago
I was wondering what was going on. I recently dropped HBO though, they were good when they were doing same day theatrical releases during COVID but with all their reported issues behind the scenes with their parent company WB, uninteresting (to me) new tv shows, and weak new releases scheduled I couldn't justify it. Additionally, I have a feeling once WB releases the new HBO+Discovery combined plans the price will undoubtedly increases because that's apparently the formula these days for subscription models.

No doubt, pirating will be coming back with the way things are going.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
archi penko Avatar
40 months ago

For me, even pausing a title for a few will cause the error “this title cannot be played” to pop up. I have to back out of the app, select the episode again to get it to play. Very annoying.
It happens to me too. Instead of backing out of the app, try to play another show entirely (not another episode of the same show). It should work again also.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
archi penko Avatar
40 months ago
Shutting off HDR at main level is not a fix. The whole point why people bought this Apple TV version is because it has HDR/Dolby Vision, now you’re asking them to turn it off, which affects other platforms too?!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
40 months ago

Shutting off HDR at main level is not a fix. The whole point why people bought this Apple TV version is because it has HDR/Dolby Vision, now you’re asking them to turn it off, which affects other platforms too?!
Exactly. Nor is watching content in 720p. Didn’t even know that was an option in 2022.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rorrazo Avatar
40 months ago
I erased and reinstalled the app and now it’s working flawlessly.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Strebor Avatar
40 months ago
I noticed this last night. Good to read it's a known issue and will get a fix.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)