HBO Max is the third streaming service from HBO, and is the biggest one yet. As well as the usual library of HBO classics, you also get access to a whole bunch of Warner Bros owned films and shows, including DC superhero flicks, sitcoms like Friends and newer blockbusters.
HBO Max is currently ready to stream on numerous smart devices. It’s only available in the US – but there is a way to stream it from the UK through using a VPN. This tutorial is for those of you who want to download the app on an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Fire TV. We have a similar guide if you want to get HBO Max on Roku.
You can sign up for HBO Max on the website for $14.99 per month, with a seven-day free trial. If you’re confused about the different types of streaming services that HBO offers, then take a look at our explainer article of HBO Now, HBO Go and HBO Max.
Is HBO Max available on my Amazon Fire device?
Unfortunately Amazon Fire is one of the two few devices that HBO Max isn’t available on, the other being Roku. Both companies didn’t manage to reach a financial agreement prior to the launch. However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of it coming to the platform in the future.
CNET interviewed the executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer products – Andy Forssell – who stated that the HBO Max apps for both Amazon Fire and Roku are already prepared on the developing end. They just need to wait for the go-ahead from Amazon first.
Once we hear more information on this, we’ll update this article.
Getting HBO Max on Amazon Fire via sideloading
Whilst you can’t get HBO Max directly from the Fire App Store, you can get it on your downloaded apps through a sideloading method. To do this, you’ll need an Android phone to hand, and you’ll have to have uninstalled HBO Now if you have that on your App Store.
Here’s the steps in their most basic form:
- Go on your Amazon Fire TV device and head to Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options > Toggle ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources to ‘On’
- Install the Amazon App Store on your Android phone
- Open this link within your phone’s browser and follow the instructions (check the Unknown Sources box before you can successfully install the store)
- Open the App Store on your phone and search for AKG Fire, from developer Gopi Adusumilli
- On your Fire TV, head to Settings > System > About > Network and find its IP address
- Open AKG Fire on your phone (the name will appear as AFTV Side Loader) and type in the same IP address that appears on your TV when prompted
- Scroll through the app list until you find HBO Max, tap on it and choose to install it on your TV (this will take a couple of minutes)
- The app won’t appear on the main menu – to find it you must head to Settings > Applications > Manage All Installed Applications
- Click on HBO Max, then hit ‘Launch Application’
For more details on this, take a look at our full explainer on how to sideload apps onto Amazon’s Fire TV.
Please note that we haven’t specifically tested this method for HBO Max, we’re only recommending it based on previous Tech Advisor articles with other apps. Proceed at your own risk.
Other ways to watch HBO Max on the TV
If side-loading isn’t for you, then there are a few other methods that you can use to get HBO Max on your TV:
- Link up your laptop/PC to your TV with a HDMI cable and watch HBO Max directly through the browser
- Purchase a Chromecast and screen share to your TV using either the HBO Max app or website
- If you have an Xbox One or PS4, link these up to your TV and download the game app of HBO Max
- If you have a smart TV, check if the HBO Max app is available on there (its currently on Samsung TVs and Android TVs)
- If you get your TV via Hulu or YouTube TV, you can add HBO Max as a channel
Via Techadvisor