Is HBO Max not working with your VPN? You might have to delete some stored data. Try these 5 fixes.
VPNs are great, there’s no denying that. Not only do they provide us with secure browsing, but also allow us to access international content within our favorite streaming platforms.
And the best part is that using these private networks is extremely simple and user-friendly, not to mention that, for what they offer, even the most expensive options seem cheap.
That being said, as wonderful as these are, they’re also far from perfect, and you can often encounter an issue or two when using them for streaming. If you’re reading this, HBO Max is currently not working with your VPN.
This is more common than you think, and it’s happening more and more often.
I was in your position not too long ago and had to undergo a tedious trial and error process to find a solution that worked for me.
Today, I want to share my findings and help you out of this rabbit hole.
Below, you will find a list of the most common causes behind this occurrence and the simplest steps you can take to address them. I’m confident that together, we’ll get your favorite VPN working with HBO Max again in no time.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
If you’ve been in the VPN world for a while, you know that most streaming companies hate them, and if you think about it, it makes sense.
Streaming giants, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max use the data they collect from certain regions to develop new content for them. Having someone from Australia watch Italian-exclusive shows can mess up their metrics and make the lives of the people in the Marketing and Development departments, a nightmare.
In fact, HBO Max has been known to ban certain users from streaming while using these private networks, so it’s important that we not only restore your streaming ability but also protect your traffic from raising any red flags.
Without further ado, here are 5 fixes you can try to keep enjoying HBO Max with your VPN:
Let’s start off by addressing the elephant in the room.
You’ll never get a good VPN streaming experience unless you pay for it. There are a lot of free VPNs out there and some of the paid developers even offer free-to-use versions of their products.
But these are hardly ever any good.
Usually, free VPNs have a lot of trouble connecting to secure regions, and only use about 5% of your full internet speed. This results in an inability to connect to different countries, and painfully slow loading and browsing times.
Sadly, there’s just no way around it. If you want an enjoyable VPN viewing experience, you’ll have to go get your wallet and buy a subscription. The good news is that most of the greatest options out there will cost you less than $100 per year.
No, I don’t mean that kind of flushing!
DNS stands for “Domain Name System”, and is basically a translator between human and computer language. You see, whenever you enter a website on the search bar, like www.google.com, for example, your computer needs the human words to be translated into numbers it can understand.
The DNS protocol is extremely useful, as our computers simply would not be able to work the way they do without it. However, it can also be the source of issues now and then.
Luckily, you can always flush it, or reset it, if you will.
Solution: Here’s how you can do it. Let’s get into hacker mode!
On Windows:
ipconfig/flushdns
ipconfig/registerdns
ipconfig/release
ipconfig/renew
netsh winsock reset
Your DNS should now be flushed and your HBO Max VPN connection troubles should be gone.
This is not true for all VPN services, but a lot of them let you switch between hundreds of servers in every country.
VPN servers work just like the ones at streaming platforms. They distribute user traffic and redirect incoming users to other servers with lighter loads when one or several of them are at full capacity.
If you’re already paying for a premium VPN service, and are certain that your DNS has been successfully flushed, this might be the problem.
Solution: The server switching feature might or might not be available on your VPN of choice. If it is available to you, it should be right next to the options of the country you’re connected to.
Just look for any option that says “server”, and has a number next to it. By tapping on it, you should get a dropdown menu to select which one you want to be connected to.
Some VPNs even recommend certain servers as soon as they detect they’re under lighter loads.
If none of the above works, clearing your cookies is worth a shot.
Unless you’re a computer programmer or a marketing agent, there’s really no reason why you should know what cookies are. But since you’re here, I think it’s in your best interest that I explain them to you briefly.
Cookies are developer tools that monitor and learn your browsing habits to make your experience more enjoyable, and help companies target you with specific ads.
This is why your social media is suddenly bombarded with cupcake molds right after looking up the recipe for Strawberry Shortcake.
And while, as I said before, cookies have their good side too, sometimes they can interfere with the way you’re streaming platforms work. In some cases, the data they store about you gets in the way and can bug out the service.
Luckily, as I write this, cookies are still entirely optional and very easy to delete in any browser.
Solution: Here’s how you can entirely clear your cookies. I’ll use Google Chrome as an example:
Remember a while back when I was talking about hiding your VPN traffic from HBO Max? Well… this is what I meant.
As you learned above, most streaming services hate VPNs, as they mess with their metrics and make it much harder to develop content for specific countries or regions. This results in constant service issues and even bans for those who use these private networks.
Now, I’m not saying you’ll be completely cut off from the service forever, or that you’ll be forbidden from ever joining again. But you could experience several issues, such as slow loading times, the inability to log into your account, and even subtitles out of sync.
Most of the time, HBO Max is not even doing this on purpose. But since they’ve blacklisted most VPN service providers, the streaming experience can be highly compromised when the platform’s system detects someone using them.
This is where obfuscation features come in handy.
I won’t get all technical, but in a nutshell, obfuscation is sort of a cloak for your VPN traffic. While using this feature, all your VPN traffic will be disguised as regular traffic, which makes it much harder for streaming platforms to identify VPN users.
I’d like to point out, thought, that subscribing to a VPN provider that offers this service is ideal, but not necessary. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get away with browsing with a VPN that doesn’t have obfuscation features.
That being said, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?
When you can get your preferred VPN to work with your favorite streaming platform, it’s a dream come true. But, when no matter what you do, you seem to be having all sorts of problems, things can quickly turn into a nightmare.
You’re basically trading off being able to watch all shows, in order to get the chance to stream a handful of foreign ones. It doesn’t really make sense, does it?
Luckily, as I hope you’ve learned in this piece, you don’t have to choose between one and the other, as addressing most of the causes behind this situation is fairly simple and quick.
More often than not, using a premium VPN and making sure that you’ve cleared your cookies should do the trick and provide you with the best of both worlds.
Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If you found this article helpful, you’ll be glad to know that we upload new content weekly. Make sure to stay tuned, and become a Tech Detective yourself!
Happy streaming.
Detective Anderson is a grizzled veteran of policing the internet’s cyber-streets. After decades of experience busting illegal floppy disk rings and underground dial-up connections, Anderson has now been placed in charge of the more modern Tech Detective team.
