HBO Max Downloads Not Working Offline?

Ever felt so annoyed that your HBO Max downloads not working offline?

We have found the different steps you can follow to watch your favorite content, even when you’re offline.

Imagine being excited to watch your favorite show and staring at nothing. We know of proven solutions that will allow you to watch your HBO Max content in less than 10 minutes.

Let’s get to the solutions!

To get your HBO Max content to work even when offline, you need to clear storage space on your device.

Removing the software bugs or glitches that cause this issue will also resolve this error. You want to ensure that you’re on the correct HBO Max plan that allows offline viewing.

Now that you have a good idea of fixing this particular HBO Max issue let’s look at the different causes of this error.

Main Causes of HBO Max Offline Viewing Not Working

You can try checking the following conditions in case you get to encounter problems with why your HBO Max viewing is not working offline:

✅ Not enough storage space

Insufficient storage on your device can influence downloading your favorite HBO Max movies. A full storage device can prevent you from saving additional files.

✅ HBO Max app malfunction

An unstable internet or wifi connection can affect the progress of downloading your favorite movies from the HBO Max app.

Not being able to download those movies can give you apparently nothing to watch offline.

✅ Not on the right plan

Your current subscription plan with HBO Max can prevent you from downloading your preferred movies and watching them offline.

✅ Outdated software

Not updating your HBO Max app to its latest version can also result in your offline viewing problem.

Though some devices can be automatically updated, internet connection issues can prevent your apps from getting updated.

Let’s now proceed to the troubleshooting steps so you can start watching downloaded content on HBO Max.

Exact Steps to Fix HBO Max Downloads Not Working Offline

If you just learned why you can’t enjoy watching your HBO Max content offline, it’s time to take the necessary steps to fix it.

There are a few simple ways that you can get this to work like restarting the HBO Max app on your phone.

Rebooting your phone can also help flush out any software issues that might be causing this problem.

Now, in case these quick solutions don’t work out and you continue to have a hard time accessing downloaded content on the HBO Max app, there are more advanced steps that you can follow.

Solution #1: Clear Storage Space on Your Phone

One of the reasons why your downloads on HBO Max does not work whenever you’re offline is the lack of storage space.

Downloaded content on streaming apps will take up precious megabytes of your device’s storage.

If you don’t have enough, HBO Max will not download any movies or shows and you will not be able to watch them offline.

To resolve this and get HBO Max to download offline content, you will need to delete unnecessary files from your device.

Here’s how to clear storage space on your phone:

Remove browser caches like that on Safari and Chrome.
Clean up your photo library by removing identical pictures and videos.
Clear downloaded content from other apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify.
Uninstall apps you don’t use often.

Pro Tip: Doing these steps can easily gain you up to 2GB of storage space which will allow you to save a couple of movies or a few episodes of your favorite show.

Solution #2: Offload the HBO Max App on Your iPhone

If clearing out the storage space on your phone does not work and you’re still having a hard time downloading content for offline viewing, you want to check out the HBO Max app.

Your app can sometimes encounter some technical issues. You can work out this problem by offloading the HBO Max app on your iPhone.

Here are the complete steps on how you can offload HBO Max on your iPhone:

Navigate to your phone’s Settings.
Go to General.
Select iPhone Storage.
Choose HBO Max from the app list.
Select Offload app.

Note: Android devices don’t have the offload app feature, but you can quickly reinstall it for roughly the same effect.

Solution #3: Remove Temporary Files on the HBO Max on Your Phone

Apps like HBO Max can leave behind temporary files on your phone for their efficient operation. However, these can build up and can cause issues with the app itself.

Your devices do have dedicated storage space for these. However, the files here can corrupt quickly and can cause various problems.

Getting rid of those backup files from the HBO Max app is one way to resolve the problem of your offline viewing.

Removing these from your phone’s system can do wonders for your device. You clear up space and stop issues that can affect your apps.

Here’s how you can remove temporary files from your phone:

On iPhone:

Go to the Settings app on your phone.
Scroll down and select Safari.
Navigate to the Clear History option.
Select it and choose Clear History and Data.

On Android:

Open your phone’s Settings.
Navigate to Apps.
Scroll down and find HBO Max from the list.
Select Storage.
Tap on Clear Cache, then Clear Data.

Note: We recommend restarting your phone after removing the temporary files from your system.

Solution #4: Flush Your Device’s Memory by Force Closing the App

Your phone’s memory also plays a key part when it comes to dealing with software issues like bugs and glitches.

These don’t happen that often, but once they do, they’re quite tricky to nail down as they can manifest as a different issue.

If you have cleared your phone’s storage and removed temporary files, flushing your phone’s memory is the next thing you need to do.

Force-closing apps can quickly get rid of this issue, especially when it also starts to become unresponsive.

It can also clear out any bugs affecting the app that is not allowing you to download content for offline viewing.

Here’s how to force close the HBO Max app on your phone:

On iPhone:

Swipe up on the Home screen to open the app drawer.
Swipe left or right to find the HBO Max app from the list.
Swipe the HBO Max app card up away from the screen.
Relaunch the app.

On Android:

Swipe up from the bottom of your phone’s screen.
Swipe up or down to find the HBO Max preview.
Swipe left or right away from the screen to close the app.

Note: You can also tap on the Close All button.

Solution #5: Check the State of Your VPN

HBO Max is an app that’s particular about accessing it. For one, it’s not available in all regions, so if you’re traveling, you will have a hard time watching it.

If it detects that you’re not in one of its supported regions, it can prevent you from using it.

Downloading content for offline viewing will also be affected as it won’t permit you to do it.

Using a VPN changes your location and can interfere with the HBO Max app.

If you’re in the US and are using a VPN to access content from other regions, you’re going to disable it. However, if you’re abroad and want to watch HBO Max, you need to enable it.

Here’s how to use your VPN to watch HBO Max offline content:

Open the VPN app on your phone.
Log in using your username and password to access the service.
Select the server you want to connect to.
If you’re out of the country, choose one in the US.
Tap on Connect.

VPN: If you’re looking for a reliable VPN for all your streaming needs, AtlasVPN is a service that you should consider.

It offers fast connection speeds and works for all services like Netflix and HBO Max.

Solution #6: Get the Ad-Free Plan on HBO Max

Finally, if you’ve tried all the solutions, but is still unable to watch your downloaded content on HBO Max, you want to check the plan that you have.

HBO Max comes with different types of plans that allow you to access their content.

However, not all plans are created equal, and there are subscription types that have added features.

The lowest one is great as it gives you access to the service but it comes with ads. It’s also a plan that does not allow you to watch downloaded content for offline viewing.

If you have this subscription level, you want to get the better ones so you gain the offline viewing feature.

Here’s how to upgrade your HBO Max plan:

Sign in to your HBO Max account.
Tap on your profile and select Settings.
Navigate to Subscriptions.
Go to Manage Subscriptions, then Switch Plans.
Choose the Ad-free plan.

Note: You also get to enjoy 4K HDR viewing when you get the Ad-free plan.

These are the steps you need to get HBO Max content to work even if you’re offline.

If you run into additional issues with the app, you can contact HBO Max customer support for help.

Bottom Line

Now that you have the knowledge to solve your HBO Max downloads not working offline problem, you can now resolve it in no time.

It’s mostly a software issue either something with your phone or the app itself.

You can also update your device’s operating system so it runs the latest software for better compatibility with the latest version of the app.

Kevin Wood

Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.

HBO Max Downloads Not Working Offline? – Easy Fix