15 essential HBO Max tips

If you’re paying $15 per month for HBO Max, you should make the most of it.

Instead of just wandering aimlessly through the home screen, use these HBO Max tips and tricks to figure out what to watch, manage your watchlist, and browse the streaming service’s catalog more efficiently. We’ll even include a quick link to cancel your subscription:

Browse by genre (three ways)

HBO Max offers a few different ways to filter its catalog by genre:

• From the sidebar menu, select Browse, then choose a genre from the list.
• From the Movies or Series sidebar menus, use the top tabs to see everything from a genre in alphabetical order.
• From the Search sidebar menu, use the genre list under the keyboard to see popular search results from each one.

Find similar shows

Here’s another way to figure out what to watch on HBO Max: Find a movie or show you already like, then scroll down on the program page until you reach the “More Like This” row. Chances are you’ll find something similar that’s worth watching.

Manage your watchlist

HBO Max has its watchlist feature so you can bookmark things to watch later. Just select the + icon on any movie or show page, and it’ll appear in a “My List” row on the home screen.

To easily remove watchlist items, select your profile icon from the sidebar menu and select the “My List” tab. Hit the “Edit” button, then select individual items to remove or hit “Clear All” to wipe them in bulk. (You can also sort your watchlist alphabetically from this menu.)

Activate shuffle mode

For certain shows where it’s not crucial to watch episodes in order, HBO Max now offers a shuffle button that picks episodes at random. Look for it on the info page for shows such as Friends, Rick & Morty, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Big Bang Theory.

Don’t sleep on Hubs

In addition to browsing by genre, you can also filter HBO’s catalog through Warner’s various brands, such as TCM, Adult Swim, Studio Ghibli, and Cartoon Network. Just head to the sidebar menu, then click the “Hubs” button at the bottom.

Find 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos content

Unlike Netflix, HBO Max offers movies and shows with 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos at no extra charge. When you choose a supported title, you should see a list of supported formats on the listing page.

Unfortunately, HBO Max lacks a built-in way to search for titles with 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos support, but you can find an extensive list over at HD Report.

Hide your HBO Max watch history

Got a guilty pleasure you’d rather keep hidden? To remove items from your HBO Max watch history, click on your profile icon in the sidebar menu, select the “Continue Watching” tab, then hit “Edit.” Hit the “X” on any individual show to remove it, or select “Clear All” to wipe the slate clean.

Watch movies before they’re gone

While HBO Max is a great source for streaming new movies, many of its titles don’t stay on the service forever. To see which movies are leaving HBO Max, scroll down to the “Browse” section in the left sidebar, then select “Last Chance.”

Launch shows by voice

If you have a Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV device, you can use voice commands to jump directly into HBO Max movies or shows. Try holding your remote’s voice control button and saying “Watch Succession,” or “Watch The Batman,” and your streaming device should take care of the rest.

Turn off autoplay

To turn off autoplay in HBO Max, head to Settings from the sidebar menu, then scroll over to the “Playback” tab. Here you’ll find an option to not play the next episode automatically when the current episode is finished.

Note that if you have more than one streaming device, you’ll need to change this setting on each device separately.

Add a profile pic

If you’re tired of seeing your first initial as your profile image, you can pick a different image through HBO Max’s iOS or Android apps. Select “Manage Profiles” from the profile selection screen, then hit the edit button over your image. On the next screen, select the camera icon over your image, then choose from popular characters or upload an image from your phone.

While you can only choose a profile photo through HBO Max’s mobile apps, those changes will carry over to your TV as well.

Create a kids profile

Don’t want the kiddies to watch Game of Thrones? From the profile selection screen, choose “Add Kid,” then enter their name and birth date.

On the next screen, you’ll be able to choose the maximum age ratings allowed for movies and shows, and you can optionally require a PIN to switch back to an adult profile.

Watch HBO Max shows offline

With HBO Max’s ad-free plan, you can download movies and TV shows for offline viewing on phones and tablets. Just look for the ↓ download icon while browsing the catalog.

By default, HBO Max downloads emphasize smaller files that download faster. To download at higher quality, tap on your profile icon, hit the ⚙ settings icon, then head to Downloads > Download Quality.

Note that no matter which quality you choose, HBO Max downloads are limited to 30 videos per account across all profiles, and they expire either 30 days after downloading them or 48 hours after you start watching, whichever comes first. You can refresh a download by tapping the ! icon next to any video in the downloads tab.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to download HBO Max videos for offline viewing on your TV, at least not without elaborate workarounds.

Enjoy HBO Max’s Audio Description content

For vision-impaired users—or for times where you just don’t want to constantly watch the screen—HBO Max has a growing number of shows with audio descriptions. Once enabled, you’ll hear a description of the action on screen in addition to any dialog.

To find HBO Max content with Audio Description support, open the sidebar menu, select “Browse,” then scroll all the way to the bottom and select “Audio Description.”

Note that you’ll still have to enable Audio Description in the playback menu. To do so, click on the little speech button and select “English – Audio Description.”

How to cancel your HBO Max subscription

If you signed up for HBO Max directly, you can use the website or mobile app to cancel. Tap on your profile icon, hit Settings or tap the ⚙ gear icon, then look under the “Subscription section.” (You can also use this web link to head straight to the settings page.)

This page will also tell you if you signed up for HBO Max through another TV provider, such as Hulu or YouTube TV. In that case, you’ll need to manage your subscription through the TV provider instead.

Because HBO Max is also available as an add-on through other TV providers, you might need to cancel your subscription through that provider instead. I have a separate article on how you can manage your subscriptions through various other TV providers.

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