HBO Max is rolling out an updated Apple TV app over the next few weeks that will bring improved stability and new features. According to Variety, the new iteration of the app looks visually similar to the original version, but WarnerMedia says the revamped app is much more stable. The roll out of the upgraded app comes amid user complaints that the previous version had performance issues and would often lag.
Along with enhanced stability, the new version of the app also brings several other improvements. To start, there’s a new simplified sign-in and sign-up process and a new feature called “binge mode” that lets you skip credits and jump into the next episode of a TV show. The upgraded version also features a new homepage screen view with a scrollable “hero” banner.
In addition, the new app will give users more curation capabilities via a new “My Stuff” experience that will allow them to edit and sort their “My List” and “Continue Watching” lists. The new app will also eventually be able to provide more dynamic interface animations.
HBO Max executive Sarah Lyons told Variety that WarnerMedia decided to build the previous HBO Max app for Apple TV on the same code base as the existing HBO Go and HBO Now apps two years ago when it was readying the launch. Lyons noted that by doing so, the company was able to get the app to market faster. WarnerMedia knew that the original platform wasn’t designed for a big content catalog and that the company would have to revamp it in the future. The new HBO Max app for Apple TV is based on a cross-platform app engine from You.i, which WarnerMedia acquired in December 2020.
The revamped app will roll out slowly throughout the week and into the next. It should be a welcome upgrade for frustrated HBO Max users who have had trouble using the original app for Apple TV.
