Owners of Fire TV Sticks have encountered a new issue that is not related to illegal content or unauthorized streaming. Millions of users with older Fire TV devices are facing a situation where they can no longer access content on HBO Max.
The HBO Max platform, which recently launched in the UK, offers a wide range of shows and movies at a starting price of £4.99 per month. It features popular HBO originals, Warner Bros. films, DC titles, and Discovery programs, including well-known series like Euphoria, House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones, Friends, and the Harry Potter collection.
Fire TV devices running Fire OS 5 or earlier are now incompatible with HBO Max, according to official statements from HBO. The service is supported on various devices such as phones, tablets, smart TVs, and streaming players, but only works on Amazon Fire TV devices with Fire OS 6 or higher.
One of the impacted models is the second-generation Fire TV Stick, a previously top-selling device by Amazon. Unlike smartphones or computers, Fire TV Sticks do not receive major operating system updates, meaning users are stuck with the original OS version. To continue streaming HBO Max, users with older Fire TV Sticks will need to upgrade to a newer device.
To check the operating system version on your Fire TV Stick, navigate to Settings > My Fire TV > About and check the Software Version. If it shows Fire OS 5 or earlier, access to HBO Max will be restricted.