HBO Now App Removed From 2nd and 3rd Generation Apple TV Models

As expected, HBO removed support for its HBO Now app on second and third-generation Apple TV models over the weekend.

apple tv 2nd gen remote setup wrap steps wrap
Early last month, the company announced that it would be removing support for older ‌Apple TV‌ devices at the end of April, a decision it said was made "in order to provide the best streaming experience."

Following pushback from users, a couple of days later HBO said that it would be extending the deadline to May 15, with HBO GO to remain available for "a few additional months."

The company hoped that the extended deadline would provide people with enough time to upgrade their ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ models and otherwise prepare for the day they are removed.

Affected users are advised to try alternate ways to access content, including streaming HBO GO using another streaming device like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, using AirPlay to stream HBO GO to ‌Apple TV‌, using an HDMI cable to connect a phone, tablet, or computer to a TV, and using Chromecast to cast HBO GO from a phone, tablet, or computer to a TV.

HBO GO and HBO NOW remain functional on the newest ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ HD and ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ 4K platforms. Numerous shows and movies can also be streamed for free on HBO GO and HBO NOW, including Silicon Valley, Succession, The Wire, and more.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: HBO, HBO NOW
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...

Top Rated Comments

cualexander Avatar
71 months ago
There could be a valid reason HBO is removing old versions of the app, like maybe they want to start using a different codec now, one that older devices couldn’t handle well due to CPU constraints. Or that the older devices provided a poor experience.

I doubt there’s any conspiracy here. Most of the time when companies make old programs reach end of life, it’s because the cost of supporting the old program is too high. Trying to fix old bugs in old programs is not a very efficient use of company time.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Techwatcher Avatar
71 months ago
It’s a video streaming app. There’s no way any version of an Apple TV can’t handle it. This was taken off for no reason.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xyz01 Avatar
71 months ago
One problem is that "everyone" expects Apple to release a new AppleTV shortly, so this is not at good time to buy a new one.

The current gen AppleTV is listed as "don't buy" on this site for exactly this reason.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
71 months ago
HBO Gone
HBO Not Now

All seems a bit weird to me. It would be nice if they provided a more technical explanation... if there is one, which there may be. Possibly.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TiggrToo Avatar
71 months ago

it was taken out because HBO and apple have a licensing agreement and the fact apple wants people to buy newer apple tvs. HBO is not just removing its app from older apple tvs they have also been removing the app from many older "smart" TVs too. They don't want to support older platforms.
The 2nd gen used an A4, 3rd A5. Both 32 bit only. I suspect the lack of 64 bit processors had a huge part to do with this.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
allenvanhellen Avatar
71 months ago

it was taken out because HBO and apple have a licensing agreement and the fact apple wants people to buy newer apple tvs. HBO is not just removing its app from older apple tvs they have also been removing the app from many older "smart" TVs too. They don't want to support older platforms.
Which is no GOOD reason as far as subscribers are concerned.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)