HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies
Easy parent controls make streamer safer for kids.
HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies is a cable-free streaming service that allows families to watch movies and television shows on Apple and Android devices. Only high-speed internet is needed. It's meant to replace the HBO Now app, but with a greater selection of TV shows and movies and better parental controls. If your device doesn't support HBO Max, you can still use HBO Now (at the time of this review), though it doesn't have as much content. Options for parental controls are in the profile menu, where users create a kid account and a PIN to access the settings for restrictions. Parents can also restrict TV shows and movies based on their ratings. Up to five profiles can be created, making it easy to share devices across family members of all ages. There's an option to require the PIN when switching from a kid to an adult account. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
Community Reviews
Amazing service! Nothing like it!
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Easy to put parental controls.
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What’s It About?
HBO MAX: STREAM TV & MOVIES is easy to set up and can stream on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch; on Android devices; and on Apple TV. Parents download the app (users must be at least 17 years old), subscribe to the service, create a profile (name, email, and ZIP code), and then begin streaming. The home screen consists of several pages advertising some of the more popular movies and shows, and there's a drop-down menu in the upper left corner. Here, users can view listings of programs by topic or genre: Series, Movies, Originals, Sports, Documentaries, and so on. In the profile section, users can set up to five profiles, including adult and kid profiles. Watchlists, downloads, and the viewing history of each profile are also found here. The Settings option includes access to the parental controls, billing information, the privacy policy, and more. Parent controls consist of a numeric passcode (PIN) that must be entered each time the settings are changed for TV and movie ratings. There's also the option of requiring the PIN when switching from a kid profile to an adult profile. Adjusting the settings to allow only G-rated and TV-Y content filters out anything that has more mature ratings, so kids will see only age-appropriate listings.
Is It Any Good?
With access to thousands of popular titles across a variety of genres, and easy-to-use parental controls, this streaming app is a family-friendly and affordable alternative to cable TV. Kids can add programs to a watchlist, and searching for specific shows and movies is easy. The parental controls have enough features to be useful and mostly secure. A parent can set a numeric passcode and limit the accessible content by rating (G, PG-13, and so on). And when parents want to watch a show that's TV-MA, all they have to do is switch profiles.
In addition to improved parental controls and the ability to set up multiple profiles, HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies offers more programming than HBO Now offered. All HBO content can be streamed, along with popular TV series, blockbuster movies, and original content. On the downside, 4K isn't available, and the app isn't available on all streaming devices at the time of review.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about limits on what, when, and how long they can watch on services like HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies. What shows are appropriate for them, and why?
Choose a favorite kid-friendly show or movie to watch together and then talk about the plot. With younger kids, talk about their favorite and least favorite characters.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Pricing structure: Free to try (free trial then $14.99/mo.)
- Release date: June 29, 2020
- Category: Entertainment
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Superheroes, Adventures, History, Science and Nature
- Publisher: HBO
- Version: 50.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 12.2 or later
- Last updated: July 20, 2020
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