How to Fix: HBO Max Can't Play Title

Tijana Tijana

Written by Tijana Streaming / HBO

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When it comes to bigger streaming services such as HBO Max, it is completely understandable for the platform to crash every once in a while.

However, it gets annoying at times, especially when you’re in the middle of binge-watching your favorite TV show.

HBO is currently counting over 70 million monthly subscribers, making the platform among the biggest ones in the market.

Hence, with the gravity of the platform, and the big number of streamers at any given time, the app is bound to have crashes, bugs and glitches.

Luckily, however, the issue can be fixed, and since there’s no certainty in what may be causing the app to crash - we’ve come up with multiple methods, which are proven to be helpful with this particular issue.

Therefore, if you’re trying to stream HBO Max, but seem to be experiencing technical issues, dive into the article below to see all possible fixes, and learn what was actually causing the problem.

How do I get my HBO Max to work?

Getting a title error on HBO has become a problem for a big number of users, however, this means a big number of solutions have surfaced as well.

As frustrating as it may be to not be able to watch your favorite TV show in peace, we’ll show you how to fix this error with a few simple steps.

  1. Checking the servers on HBO Max

HBO is a streaming service, meaning it runs on servers, and they’re crucial for you to be able to stream shows and movies with no issues whatsoever.

Hence, the issue you’re currently experiencing might be due to a crash with HBO’s servers.

There are plenty of third-party websites whose main function is determining whether the servers are functional or not. One of those websites is Downdetector.

  1. Playing another title

If an error occurs when you’re trying to play a title, try going back to the media library, and play a random title, just to make sure that HBO’s services are not down at the moment.

If the issue is only happening with a single title you’re trying to watch, there might be some glitch or error causing this, and it is causing that one specific title to not work.

Unfortunately, if this is the case, all you can do is send a report to HBO, and inform them of the issue you’re experiencing, and wait for their reply.

  1. Turning VPN services off

A big number of users have their VPN connection activated at all times. However, since there are one too many VPNs available, not all of them work as perfectly as expected.

VPNs make changes to your connection, which may be causing the issue with your HBO Max app being unable to play the title.

Hence, turn your VPN off, and try launching HBO and the title once again from the web browser, to make sure this is not what’s stopping the platform from working.

  1. Checking if the device is compatible

In order to stream shows without errors on HBO Max, you need to be running the platform from a supported device. If your device is not compatible with the app - i.e. an older Smart TV, you might need to switch to a different streaming device.

To check if your device is among the compatible ones, visit HBO’s Help Center.

  1. Log out and log back in to your HBO Max account

Signing out and singing back in might help to reboot HBO’s services. This will get you reconnected to HBO and its servers, which might consequently get the app up and running again.

If you’re using HBO Max from your phone, follow these steps:

  1. After opening the app, click on your Profile, and click on ‘Settings’.
  2. At the bottom of the page, click on ‘Sign Out’.

To log out from the web browser, follow these steps:

  1. After opening the HBO Max website, click on your profile, and access the drop-down menu.
  2. Further, click on the ‘Sign Out’ button.

  1. Checking your Internet connection

If you’re unable to play videos on HBO Max, and you’re receiving the error code ‘HBO Max Can’t Play This Title’, there might be an error with your Internet connection.

HBO requires a minimum of 5Mbps in order to function perfectly, without you having any errors as you’re currently having.

Open SpeedTest to make sure your Internet connection is not the issue. If that’s the case, restart your router, and try launching HBO again.

  1. Clearing browsing data and cache memory

Browsing history, data and cache memory make issues such as this one too many times. Therefore, try deleting all this unnecessary memory, and try using HBO’s services once again.

Clear Browsing Data and Cache Memory on your preferred browser by opening Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data.

  1. Remove extensions

Some extensions block streaming services such as HBO Max from working properly, which will consequently cause you to receive the ‘Can’t Play Title’ error message.

Try disabling your browser extensions temporarily, and check if HBO starts working normally.

  1. Clearing HBO Max app data or reinstalling the app

Android users can try clearing the app data from their phone settings, while iOS users should try uninstalling the app completely, and reinstalling it all over again.

This will give the app a clean slate, which might actually fix the issues you’re experiencing.

If none of the above-mentioned solutions seem to be fixing the error for you, you should consider contacting HBO’s Help Center, and explaining in detail the nature of the problem you’re experiencing currently.