How to Watch HBO Max (Formerly HBO Go) on Chromecast

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HBO Go is no longer an app you can install in the United States. HBO’s help center now documents a single streaming app, HBO Max, so watching HBO on a Chromecast today means casting from HBO Max. Put your phone and the Chromecast on the same Wi-Fi network, open HBO Max, tap the Google Cast button, choose your Chromecast, and start a show or movie.

This guide covers casting from an iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Chrome on a computer, using HBO Max’s own Chromecast instructions.

What Happened to HBO Go?

HBO Go was the app that let people who paid for HBO through a cable or satellite company stream it on other devices. That app is gone from HBO’s current support material, which lists install steps only for HBO Max. If an old guide tells you to open HBO Go and tap a TV icon, use HBO Max instead and follow the casting steps below.

If your HBO comes through an internet, mobile, or TV provider, you may already have access. HBO Max keeps a list of supporting providers and says you can search for yours at HBOMax.com/provider. Otherwise, you need your own HBO Max subscription before anything will play.

Apple TV owners can watch HBO on the Apple TV through the HBO Max app instead.

What You Need Before You Cast

Casting means your phone, tablet, or computer tells the Chromecast what to play, and the Chromecast shows it on the TV. HBO Max lists these requirements:

• A supported Cast device: a Chromecast (2nd or 3rd generation), a Chromecast Ultra, or a TV with Chromecast built in.
• Something to cast from: an Android phone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad, or a computer with the Chrome browser.
• The same Wi-Fi network: the device you cast from and the Chromecast must be connected to the same network.
• An HBO Max account: you sign in on the phone, tablet, or computer, not on the Chromecast.

Important: HBO Max states that 1st generation Chromecast devices are not supported. Casting HBO Max to the original Chromecast won’t work.

HBO Max’s supported devices page gives minimum versions for the mobile app: Android 7.1 or later for most Android phones and tablets, and iOS 16.4 or later for iPhone and iPad. Install the app only from the Play Store or the App Store; HBO Max says installs from other sources are not supported.

If you do not have a casting device yet, or want one as a gift, see the Google TV Streamer at Amazon for the current price.

How to Cast HBO Max From an iPhone, iPad, or Android Device

These are the steps HBO Max gives for a phone or tablet. They are the same on iOS and Android.

1. Turn on the TV and switch it to the HDMI input the Chromecast is plugged into.
2. Connect your phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromecast.
3. Open HBO Max and sign in if you are asked to.
4. Choose the Google Cast button. It is the small rectangle with curved Wi-Fi-style lines in one corner.
5. Choose the device that you want to cast to. Your Chromecast appears under the name it was given during setup.
6. Start watching something. The video opens on the TV, and your phone becomes the remote.

The Cast button may take a moment to show up after you open the app. HBO Max notes that it can take about a minute to appear.

Connect to the Chromecast before you press play. That is the order HBO Max documents.

Subtitles and Audio While Casting

HBO Max says you change subtitles, closed captions, and the audio track on the device you are casting from, not on the TV. Tap the screen on your phone during playback and choose the Audio and Subtitles icon.

How to Cast HBO Max From a Computer

On a Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook, casting works through Google Chrome. Other browsers can play HBO Max, but HBO Max’s casting steps name Chrome specifically.

1. Connect the computer to the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromecast.
2. Open Chrome and sign in at HBOMax.com.
3. Click the Google Cast button.
4. Choose the device that you want to cast to.
5. Start watching something.

If you cannot find a Cast button, Google’s Cast from Chrome to your TV page shows where the menu version lives: at the top right of Chrome, select More (the three dots), then Cast, save, and share, then Cast. Google also notes that on a Mac running macOS 15 or later, you must give Chrome access in your system settings before it can cast.

When a tab is casting, Google says the picture appears on both the computer and the TV, but the sound plays only on the TV. This article on casting a Chrome tab to a Chromecast from a Mac walks through that menu in more detail.

How to Confirm It Worked and How to Stop Casting

You know the connection worked when the video is playing on the TV and the playback controls stay on your phone, tablet, or computer. Pause, skip, and volume changes you make there should show up on the TV.

If kids cast from a phone or tablet, set up HBO Max parental controls on iPhone so they start from a Kids profile.

To stop, HBO Max says to choose the Cast button again and then Disconnect. In Chrome, select Cast on the right of the address bar and then Stop casting. Stopping the cast does not sign you out of HBO Max.

Chromecast With Google TV and Google TV Streamer

Newer Google devices come with a remote and their own app store, so you do not need a phone at all. HBO Max says that if you have a Chromecast with Google TV, you can use the HBO Max app on it directly, and it calls the TV app the easiest way to stream.

HBO Max groups Chromecast with Google TV under Android TV devices, which need Android TV OS 7.1 or later. Its install steps for that group are:

1. On the TV device, open the Play Store and search for HBO Max.
2. Choose HBO Max and then choose Install.
3. Open the app and choose Sign In, or subscribe if you are new.

If you don’t see a Play Store tile, search for HBO Max from the Google TV home screen. The Google TV Streamer (4K) runs Google TV and has Chromecast built in, so you can install the HBO Max app on it or cast to it with the phone steps above. Not sure which Google device you own or what replaced it? See whether the Chromecast is discontinued.

Casting Compared With the TV App

Question	Cast from phone, tablet, or Chrome	HBO Max app on the TV device
Works with	Chromecast (2nd or 3rd gen), Chromecast Ultra, TVs with Chromecast built in	Chromecast with Google TV and other Android TV devices
Where you sign in	On the phone, tablet, or computer	On the TV
What controls playback	The device you cast from	The TV remote
Needs a second device	Yes	No

Troubleshooting: Cast Button Missing or Chromecast Not Found

Work through these in order. The first check fixes most problems, because nothing can be found across two different networks.

Check the Wi-Fi Network First

Open Wi-Fi settings on the device you are casting from and confirm the network name matches the one the Chromecast uses. A guest network, a mobile hotspot, or cellular data will keep the Chromecast from appearing in the list.

iPhone or iPad: Turn On Bluetooth and Local Network

HBO Max says a missing Cast button on iOS usually comes down to two permissions:

1. Open Settings, scroll down, and select HBO Max.
2. Make sure Bluetooth and Local Network are both turned on.
3. Close HBO Max and reopen the app.

Give it up to a minute for the button to return. Local Network is the iPhone permission that lets an app look for other devices on your Wi-Fi; this article on changing Local Network access for apps on iPhone shows where the full list of apps is.

Chrome: Restore the Cast Button

Google’s Missing the Cast button? page suggests updating Chrome, confirming the Wi-Fi network, and looking in the More menu, where Cast always remains available. Once the button is showing, you can right-click it and choose Keep in Toolbar. Resetting Chrome’s settings removes the button until you pin it again.

The Chromecast Does Not Appear or Will Not Connect

HBO Max lists three things to try with the Chromecast itself:

• Check that the TV is set to the same numbered HDMI input the Chromecast is connected to.
• Unplug the Chromecast from power and from the HDMI port, wait a minute, then plug it back in.
• Try a different HDMI port on the TV.

Also confirm the model. A 1st generation Chromecast is not supported by HBO Max, so no amount of restarting will help there.

Last Resort: Cast Your Screen From Google Home

If the in-app Cast button will not cooperate on a phone or tablet, HBO Max suggests going through the Google Home app instead:

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Choose the device that you want to cast to.
3. Choose Cast my screen, then Cast screen.
4. Once your screen appears on the TV, open HBO Max and start streaming.

Google’s screen casting instructions describe this as an Android feature that needs Android 8.0 or later, with the option reached by tapping and holding the device’s tile. Screen casting mirrors everything on the phone, so notifications show on the TV and the phone has to stay awake. Turn on battery saver first. For other ways to do this, here’s how to screen mirror Android to a TV.

Once casting works, the same Cast button shows up in most streaming apps. You can use it to watch Netflix on the Chromecast or cast Vudu (now Fandango) movies from an iPhone. If you mostly watch on a tablet, here’s how to watch HBO Max on an iPad.

HBO Max Casting Questions

Can I still use HBO Go with a Chromecast?

No. HBO’s current help center has no HBO Go app to install; it documents HBO Max only. To watch HBO on a Chromecast, sign in to HBO Max on a phone, tablet, or Chrome and cast from there.

Do I need to install anything on the Chromecast?

Not on a 2nd or 3rd generation Chromecast or a Chromecast Ultra. Those models have no app store, and the HBO Max app on your phone or the HBO Max website in Chrome does the work. A Chromecast with Google TV is different: it runs the HBO Max app itself, installed from the Play Store.

Does casting HBO Max work from an iPhone?

Yes. HBO Max lists the iPhone and iPad as supported casting devices. The HBO Max app needs Bluetooth and Local Network permission in Settings > HBO Max before the Cast button appears. This walkthrough on casting an iPhone to a Chromecast covers the general process for other apps.

Can I cast HBO Max from Safari, Edge, or Firefox?

HBO Max’s instructions for computers only cover the Chrome browser, and Google’s casting documentation is also written for Chrome. Use Chrome if you want to cast from a computer.

Why is there no sound on my computer while casting?

That is expected. When you cast a tab, video shows on both screens but the sound plays only on the TV.

Does my plan affect picture quality on a Chromecast?

Your plan sets the ceiling. HBO Max lists Full HD 1080p for its Basic with Ads and Standard plans and 4K Ultra HD, where available, for Premium. Check HBO Max’s 4K device list to see whether your Chromecast model can play 4K.