No matter what you have read about the unavailability of HBO Max on Fire TV will show you how to work around it with ease.
HBO Max launched in the US on May 27, 2020, reaching millions of downloads across multiple devices: Apple TV, Android TV, iOS, Android, Chromecast, Xbox, PS4, and Samsung TVs.
Surprisingly, Amazon and Roku decided to prevent their users from downloading the app from their app stores, apparently trying to force HBO to distribute their content only through Amazon’s official apps, and not through the app. HBO Max.
Unfortunately for Roku users, there is no workaround for this. However, Amazon Fire TV users are in luck.
Since Amazon Fire OS is only Android and the developers are making the same app for Fire TV and Android TV, you can easily download the Android TV app to your Fire TV and start streaming HBO Max today. ‘hui, in just a few minutes. , without complicated configuration.
This does not imply breaking the warranty or unlocking your Fire TV. All you need to do is activate the APK installation option in the settings menu and install the HBO Max APK file on your Fire TV device.
As the Protocol’s Janko Roettgers reported, Amazon’s and AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit is grappling with a variety of issues, including reducing Amazon’s advertising revenue on other WarnerMedia applications and the question of if Amazon’s Channels service is to handle HBO Max distribution, as it does now for HBO itself. While WarnerMedia is also in conflict with Roku, it looks like these companies are closer to a deal that will bring HBO Max to Roku devices soon.
HBO Max on Fire TV
Fortunately, Fire TV users don’t have to wait for Amazon and WarnerMedia to resolve their monetary disputes. Instead, you can get the extended HBO Max catalog and the new, improved app right now by loading the Android TV version onto your Fire TV device. Here is how to get HBO Max on Fire TV.
Enable Fire TV Sideloading
In Android circles, the term “sideloading” refers to installing an app outside of any official app store. Because Amazon’s Fire TV software is based on Google’s Android operating system, sideloading lets you run virtually any Android app on your Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stream Box, Fire TV Cube, or Fire TV Edition.
However, installing apps from outside the Amazon store is a security risk, so the feature is disabled by default. To enable sideloading on a Fire TV device, go to the Settings menu, then scroll down to “My Fire TV.”
In this menu, select “Developer options,” then change ADB debugging and Unknown Sources applications to “On.”
You will see a terrifying warning when you activate the last setting. Just press “Activate” when prompted. Once you’ve installed HBO Max, you can always turn off sideloading to prevent any other external software from entering, and you can still use Max without a problem.
Finally, you will need an app called downloader to install the HBO Max app from the internet. You can use your Fire TV’s voice search to find the app, or you can install it remotely on your Fire TV through Amazon’s list of online stores.
Download and Install the HBO Max app
This is where things get tricky: To install the HBO Max app, you need to locate your APK file online, then use the Downloader app to load and install it. As of this writing, the latest version is available from a site called APKMirror. I will create a short link to the actual APK file so that you can easily install it through the Downloader app.
First of all, make sure you don’t have HBO installed now. On your Fire TV, press and hold the Start button, then select “Applications.” If you find HBO Now in your list of apps, press the menu button on your remote, then select “Uninstall.”
Now open the Downloader app and click “Allow” when prompted. Then go to the “Browser” section. You should see a web browser window with an address bar at the top.
Scroll up and select the address bar, then press “Delete” using the onscreen keyboard. Now enter the following URL into the text field exactly as it appears here: https://bit.ly/3dtBTEj
Press “Go” to begin the download and installation, then wait for a window with an HBO Max logo to appear at the top. The installation window can be a bit difficult to see, but scroll down to the “Install” message and click on it.
If for some reason, the above link is not available and you need to find another one, you can use Bitly to shorten other links to make them easier to type into the downloader. Alternatively, Amazon’s Fire TV remote apps for iOS or Android include an onscreen keyboard, which you can use to copy and paste links from your mobile browser.
Run HBO Max on Fire TV
Once the installation is complete, select “Open” from the pop-up window to launch HBO Max for the first time, you will be able to create a profile and enjoy a much larger library of content than what is only available on HBO.
Please note, however, that you will not be able to sign up for HBO Max through the Fire TV app. The app will only work if you have an existing HBO Max account, which you can link by signing in from hbomax.com/tvsignin on a phone or computer and entering the code that appears on your TV. If you haven’t already subscribed to HBO Max, consider doing so directly through the service’s website.
Another notable quirk: You’ll always see an HBO Now icon on the Fire TV home screen. However, the app itself will be like HBO Max on officially supported Android TV devices.
One more thing: Once Amazon and WarnerMedia sort things out, you’ll want to uninstall the HBO Max version and reinstall the official version through the Amazon App Store. This way, you will automatically receive the latest updates.