UPDATED: Users say that HBO Max, which costs $15 a month, has been broken for a week

HBO says a fix is coming, but the complaints are still rolling in.

By Matt Schimkowitz | June 9, 2021 | 2:43am

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UPDATED: Users say that HBO Max, which costs $15 a month, has been broken for a week

HBO Max, ostensibly the streaming service with the best library, can’t get its tech together. Last week, Apple TV users began complaining about the app malfunctioning, saying that, following a recent update, the app refuses to rewind, fast-forward, or pause. It’s been days, and the streaming service that would love nothing more than for you to cuddle up and watch The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It still can’t get the devil to fix their platform. Have they considered selling their souls to the dark lord? All signs point to no because it’s still broken (haven’t you been reading).

On Twitter, users in the industry and regular people struggle to get the dang thing to work. Still, it’s nice to see that the rich and powerful have to use the same dumb streaming services as the rest of us. The market has determined that no one gets special treatment when trying to stream the Snyder Cut.

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“It’s pretty hilarious that HBO Max broke their Apple TV app so badly,” Keith Calder, a producer on Starz’s Blindspotting, tweeted two days ago. “No fast- forward or rewind? How did this ever make it through testing.”

He continued:

“I don’t know why all these media companies thought the tech part of having a top-tier streaming service would be the easy part. Media companies have historically struggled to find and keep top tech talent.”

He’s got a point. HBO Max has one of the worst, buggiest interfaces around. Simply opening the app on any platform tests your patience. And forget about saving your food for your movie or show to start. That Big Mac will be cold by the time Hacks boots up. Maybe you can chomp on a cold burger during Mare Of Easttown, but Hacks? No, thank you.

Strangely enough, HBO Max’s customer service Twitter account acknowledged the issue on June 4. They wrote to a Twitter user, “We’re aware of this issue with our app on Apple TV and our team is working to find a solution as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience while we sort this out.”

HBO says “fixes coming,” according to The Verge. Yesterday, the site’s editor-in-chief tweeted about the issue to HBO Max’s executive vice president and general manager Andy Forssell, who tweeted, “First priority is to deliver for users in addressing the issues, but in parallel we will also dive deep into that question.” As of now, though, the company is still charging users for an app that won’t let you rewind, say, that scene from Dumb & Dumber where Harry has diarrhea. This leads us to ask, where’s the money going?

[Updated 6/9:] HBO updated the Apple TV app with a supposed fix.