Private Internet Access not working with HBO Max? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)

If you’ve been watching or are trying to watch HBO Max with Private Internet Access (PIA) and it’s not working, HBO Max has managed to block all of the IP addresses PIA can provide.

This has happened because the measures PIA has in place to prevent HBO Max from blocking all of its IP addresses are no longer working.

Fortunately, there are several fixes you can try to resolve Private Internet Access not working with HBO Max.

This article will explain those fixes, and we’ll also explain how you can watch your favourite HBO Max content anywhere in the world again.

See also:

• Private Internet Access not working with BBC iPlayer? How to fix: The EASY way! (September 2023)
• Private Internet Access not working with Amazon Prime? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)

Private Internet Access not working with HBO Max: Fixes

Try these fixes in order. If one doesn’t work, move on to the next until you can watch HBO Max with a VPN again.

Why does HBO Max block PIA?

The reason HBO Max blocks PIA is to do with broadcast rights.

Because PIA can potentially allow users to watch HBO Max in locations where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content, it could be the reason for HBO breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners.

These sorts of breaches are often met with severe fines. Obviously, HBO doesn’t want to face these financial punishments, so it tries to block VPNs from accessing its content.

These blocks aren’t only on PIA. HBO tries to block all VPNs; however some VPNs do a better job of getting around these blocks.

How does HBO Max block PIA?

HBO Max blocks PIA using three techniques:

1. The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When HBO Max sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it. 
2. HBO Max monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
3. HBO Max teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, HBO Max will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.

These blocking techniques can be very difficult to get around, and to do so, a VPN must have measures in place to ensure it can beat them.

PIA’s measures to ensure it works with HBO Max reliably are either no longer working, or it never had these sorts of measures in the first place.

Does HBO Max work with VPNs?

Although PIA has stopped working with HBO Max, there are VPNs that still work with the streaming service.

You need to use a VPN that has powerful measures in place to stay ahead of HBO Max’s blocks.

The best VPN for this is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) plays a game of cat and mouse with HBO Max. Although unlikely, if an IP address gets identified by HBO, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. 

This seems like a simple measure; however it requires a significant amount of infrastructure and finance that most VPNs can’t handle. 

This will allow you to watch HBO Max anywhere in the world reliably, and it will ensure you don’t come across the same errors you have with PIA.

The best VPNs for HBO Max

1. ExpressVPN 🥇

Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023

Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.

ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.

Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.

The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.

With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.

Check out our full ExpressVPN review.

2. NordVPN 🥉

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.

It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.

Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.

3. Ivacy

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.

This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.

The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.

For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.

4. CyberGhost

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.

From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.

That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.

Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.