App of the Week: the HBO Max app: great in its simplicity

Many people find it complicated: all those streaming services. Did you know that we have more than 12 subscription-based streaming services in the Netherlands? This week ViaPlay and HBO Max were launched. The first is especially interesting for Formula 1 fans and other sports enthusiasts, but HBO Max serves a larger audience with all its HBO films and series. That is why we choose HBO Max as App of the Week this week.

HBO Max app

So it feels complicated for many people, so much choice in streaming services. It is nice that a streaming service does not make it all too complicated. HBO Max got that right. Its purple appearance makes it stand out from the crowd and the app itself is very simple. It is therefore more reminiscent of, for example, the Netflix app than that of Disney, which with all its categories is already a bit more complicated.

Although HBO Max has had some struggles this week with the frame rate and with the servers, because sometimes it gave an error message, but that makes sense now that so many people are on the streaming service at the same time. It also comes with a very attractive offer, because if you join before March 31, you pay half of the subscription costs (if these go up, you continue to pay half of the currently new price).

It is still unknown how many Dutch people already have the app, but the hype for the streaming service was great. Where you previously needed a television subscription to see HBO, that is no longer the case. You can see classics like The Sopranos and The Wire through HBO Max, as well as HBO Max originals like The Flight Attendant and Hacks. Other favorite series on HBO Max are the Sex and the City-based And Just Like That, the bone-crushing Euphoria and the slick Succession.

Small screen, big smile

Enough to see, you can fill your days with it, but how do you like the app? As stated, it is quite simple. You see what’s on offer, you can tap on a movie or series and add it to your watch list and you can create a total of 5 profiles. Movies and series are divided into funny categories, such as “Fuel for your reality obsession”, “Small screen, big smile” and “Grow up”. If you tap the hamburger menu (the dashes) on the left, you can see specifically which Originals are available, what’s popular now, just added or search for movies and series by classic genres.

Like Disney+, there is a brand division on HBO Max, as it has HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., DC, and Cartoon Network. Yet it has not always divided its app into that, but you can choose yourself (among all genres in the hamburger menu) to go for one of those brands. The app also works very fast, looks very nice and if you have a Chromecast equipped television, it is also possible to chromecast. If you want to download a movie or series to watch offline in the plane, you can do that too (next to the button to add a movie or series to your watch list).

If you are in your profile, you can tap the settings gear at the top left and you will get a whole menu in which you can manage your subscription, among other things. Think of whether you want to stream or download via WiFi or mobile, see which devices you are logged in to and log out of, options for parental controls, the display language and the help options. It is clearly an app that has already made its mark abroad and that has borrowed the necessary skills from other streaming services. So you see, that multitude of streaming entertainment also has its advantages.

App of the Week

You will find a every Monday on Androidworld Best apps of the week and every Sunday we discuss an app in our section App of the week† If you are looking for fun apps, then you have come to the right place at Androidworld. Search our large database of apps using the links below.

Do you use HBO Max? If so, what are your experiences with the app? Leave them now in the comments below this article.