I like to watch many TV shows on HBO Max, but my main television, a Vizio Smart TV, doesn’t have that app built into it as other smart TVs do. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out how to easily get HBO Max on my Vizio Smart TV.
On top of that, I’ve had to deal with my HBO Max app freezing continuously. I scrolled through many product forums and even got lost in the Reddit rabbit hole once or twice. However, after much digging, I found quite a bit of information that helped me get HBO Max on my Vizio TV.
If you don’t have HBO Max as an inbuilt app, you can get it by using Airplay or Chromecast. If you have a newer Vizio TV, you can also use the SmartCast platform to stream HBO Max natively. If you’re tech-savvy, you can opt to Sideload from a USB drive, but it’s not something I recommend.
Below I will share with you what I compiled while I was scouring the internet for a solution. Some of them are easier than others, but I promise to make them as easy to understand as possible.
How To Get HBO Max on Vizio TV
Natively Stream HBO Max on Vizio TV
If your Vizio Smart TV has HBO Max as one of their available apps, you can very easily download the app to use. If you haven’t already done so, you will need to visit the HBO Max website and sign up for its service. Once you’ve done that, you can access the app via the app store on your TV. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the home screen of your Vizio Smart TV
- Find the App Store and search for HBO Max
- Install the app using the Add to Home button
- You can now log into HBO Max on your Vizio TV
If you’re using an older Vizio TV, you may not be able to get the app natively through the app store. If this is the case, you’ll have to use an alternative method.
Download HBO MAX ON VIZIO TV Using Web Browser
If you’re determined to download HBO Max on your Vizio TV, but the app isn’t available, you can work around it with a computer. Follow these steps to do so:
- Open a web browser on your computer
- Go to the Google Play Store
- Search for HBO Max App
- Open the Information Page
- Click on the green button that says Install
- You may now be redirected to open your Google Account
- A window with various devices will pop up
- Select the respective Vizio Smart TV and specify it with the name and IP Address
- You will now see a popup saying the app will be installed on the Smart V
- Click OK
- Allow the app to install on the TV
It’s important to remember that not all Vizio TVs are going to allow you to do this. So if you can’t get it to install or the TV doesn’t show up on the list, it’s not able to be used to download HBO Max.
Related Read: HBO Max Not Working On My TV
AirPlay HBO Max onto Vizio TV
If you’re fortunate enough to be an iOS user, you can easily stream HBO Max on your Vizio TV using AirPlay. This method essentially mirrors your phone onto your Vizio TV, so whoever is watching with you will be able to see everything that pops up on your phone. If this a method you’re still interested in trying, here’s how you do it:
- Download HBO Max on your iPhone or iPad
- Make sure your device and Vizio TV are on the same WiFi network
- Log into the HBO Max app
- Select what you want to watch and begin playing it
- There will now be an AirPlay Icon on the top
- Click on the icon
- You can now select the Vizio TV from the list and it will begin to display the content on your TV
Chromecast HBO Max onto Vizio TV
Chromecast is something I like to use a lot because it’s easy to use. My Vizio TV has Chromecast built into it, but for TVs that don’t you can purchase a Chromecast streaming media adapter. If you want to use this to watch HBO Max on your Vizio Smart TV, here’s how you can do it:
- Download HBO Max on your mobile device and sign in
- Connect your device and Vizio Smart TV to the same network
- Open HBO Max on your mobile device and play content
- You should see a Cast icon on the top
- Click on it and your content will appear on yoru TV
With the Chromecast streaming device you won’t have to use your phone at all. You can simply get HBO Max directly from Chromecast and stream it to the television.
Sideload HBO Max onto Vizio TV Using a Flash Drive
I would only use this method if all of the other ones failed. It’s more work than the other methods and not everybody is going to be able to do it, but if you’re bound and determined to watch HBO Max on your Vizio TV, then you can try this more intricate method.
- Download HBO Max using a trustworthy source
- Insert a USB Flash device into your computer
- Copy the app you just downloaded to the USB drive
- Allow it to copy completely and remove the drive from your PC
- Insert the flash drive into your Vizio TV
- Locate My Files on your Vizio TV and select the USB flash drive
- Locate the apk of HBO Max
- Select the apk and click on Install
- Wait for the installation to complete
- Launch HBO Max on the Vizio Smart TV
Contact Support
A last resort you may have to turn to is to contact support. If you’ve tried everything possible to gain access to HBO Max on yoru Vizio Smart TV, you should reach out to the HBO Max support team at 1-855-442-6629. There may be little they can do to help you get their app on a TV that doesn’t support it, so don’t be disappointed if they can’t help.
HBO Max Subscription Plans
HBO Max only offers two subscription plans. The first one is a “With Ads” plan. This is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. The other plan is an “Ads-Free” plan, which costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year. I use the ad-free plan because let’s face it, who enjoys watching ads?
If you’re lucky, you may be able to get HBO Max included with a phone plan such as Cricket Wireless. With one of their Unlimited plans, you get a free HBO Max subscription. Additionally, HBO Max offers a 7-day free trial for new users in several countries, but not in the U.S.
Related Read: How to Troubleshoot HBO Max Buffering Issues
Alternatives To HBO Max
HBO Max has been around for a few years and has gained tremendous popularity ever since. Unfortunately, not everybody can have access to it, so they have to look at alternatives to it that may offer the same kinds of shows.
My personal favorite alternative to HBO Max is Hulu. Hulu offers many shows that HBO Max offers, but also has more of a selection for a cheaper price. Hulu is only $12.99 per month for an ads-free plan.
My next favorite is Netflix. I like it more for movies, but there is a wide range of television shows available that you would find on Showtime or HBO Max. The price for Netflix is more expensive, running my $16.99 per month, and is expected to increase.
A couple of other less popular alternatives include Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Disney Hotstar. I do use Amazon Prime for certain shows, but I don’t think Vudu or Disney Hotstar is going to have what HBO offers.
Is HBO Max Available on Other Smart TVs?
HBO Max can be found on many Android and Apple TVs. Here are a couple of the TVs that I thought were best for streaming HBO Max.
The Sony Bravia A8H is great television. It’s an OLED TV that doesn’t have a backlight, so picture viewing is much better. There are lower reflections and glares, giving you a crisp picture with fantastic resolution. You can get this TV in 55 and 65-inch options as well.
Next is the Samsung Q80T. You can use it in both dark and bright environments since it offers a higher contrast ratio and local dimming. It comes with HBO Max pre-installed as a default app. It also supports Chromecast through Samsung-powered devices only. You can get this TV in 49”, 55”, 65”, 75”, and 85”.
Last is the Sony X950H. It has amazing HDR content and high peak colors and brightness for a wonderful viewing experience.
There is no OLED panel, so you don’t have to worry about screen burn. Screen burn is essentially a ghost picture on the screen that has been burnt into it from leaving the TV on constantly. You can get this TV in just about any size from 49” and up.
Related Read: How to Troubleshoot HBO Max Freezing
Conclusion
Getting HBO Max on your Vizio Smart TV may be a hassle, but I hope that this guide helped you out a little bit with it. You could try to stream other OTT apps or purchase a new TV that supports HBO Max either as a built-in app or downloadable.
I also discovered that HBO Max has had its fair share of bugs and glitches, which has faced some serious backlash. Some users experienced black screens on their smart TVs and others saw that all other OTT apps stopped playing when HBO Max was being used.
Hopefully, the bugs on Vizio TV will be fixed with the upcoming firmware update so users can continue to stream HBO max.
