If you’ve been using Surfshark to watch HBO Max outside the US and it’s stopped working, HBO has managed to block the IP address Surfshark has given you.
This has happened because HBO tries to block VPNs from accessing its service and Surfshark’s measures to prevent this from happening have failed.
The good news is there are a number of potential fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix Surfshark not working with HBO Max. You can also read on to the end to find out how to prevent VPN not working with HBO Max from happening again in the future.
See also:
- Surfshark not working on Firestick? Here’s how to FIX that! (September 2023)
- Surfshark not working with Hulu? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)
Surfshark not working with HBO Max: Fixes
Try these fixes in order, if one doesn’t work move on to the next until you’ve resolved Surfshark not working with HBO Max.
-
Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Surfshark not working with HBO Max is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. They aren’t dangerous files, but they sometimes contain information regarding your location.
If you only intermittently use Surfshark, then some of these Cookies might hold information about your actual physical location.
If HBO Max sees a discrepancy between the location stored on your Cookies and your actual location, it’ll know you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.
Try deleting your Cookies to see if this resolves Surfshark not working with HBO Max.
-
Change to a different US server
The good news is, HBO cannot block Surfshark entirely. The bad news is, it can block and blacklist Surfshark’s IP addresses.
If you’re coming across errors watching HBO Max with Surfshark, the IP address you’ve been given has been blocked. This doesn’t necessarily mean all of Surfshark’s IP addresses have been.
Changing to a different US server will give you a different US IP address. If this one hasn’t been blocked, Surfshark will work with HBO Max again.
-
Change to a different protocol
Surfshark supports three protocols, WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2.
These protocols determine how your data is rerouted by Surfshark.
Surfshark might not be working with HBO Max because the protocol you’re using is no longer meeting the streaming services requirements.
Try changing to a different one to see if that works.
-
Upgrade to a better VPN
If neither of the first two fixes works, then HBO Max has managed to block all of the IP addresses Surfshark can currently give you.
You can wait for more IPs to be released. However, there’s no telling how long this will take and also, seeing as you’ve run into this problem already, it’s clear that Surfshark doesn’t have measures in place to stay ahead of HBO Max’s blocks, and the new IP addresses will inevitably be blocked as well.
To fix the issue properly, you need to upgrade to a VPN that has measures in place to stay ahead of HBO Max’s VPN blocks. You need ExpressVPN ($6.66/month).
Why does HBO Max block Surfshark?
HBO Max tries to block all VPNs from accessing its service.
It does this to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues.
HBO doesn’t have the rights to broadcast all of its content worldwide. Some content can only be broadcast in certain geographic areas. This is because HBO has a content distribution agreement with content creators that stipulates where the content can be broadcast. For example, the US HBO Max library differs from the UK library due to these agreements.
Because VPNs are a good way to watch HBO Max libraries outside of their broadcast zones, HBO tries to block them. If it didn’t, it could breach its content agreements and face financial punishments.
This is why Surfshark is no longer working with HBO Max.
How does HBO Max block Surfshark?
HBO Max blocks Surfshark using three techniques:
- 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.
- HBO Max monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- 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.
Surfshark’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 still work with VPNs?
Yes, HBO Max will still work with a VPN, but you need to use a VPN that has IP addresses that are still compatible with the service.
By compatible, that means you need a VPN that hasn’t had all of its IP addresses blocked by HBO.
You can either wait for Surfshark to release more IP addresses that haven’t been blocked by HBO Max, but the chances are, you’ll run into this error again.
To fix the problem, you need a VPN that plays a game of cat and mouse with HBO Max. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.66/month)
When HBO Max identifies and blocks an IP provided by ExpressVPN ($6.66/month), it will close that IP and open a new one.
This will allow you to reliably watch HBO Max from anywhere in the world, and it will help to prevent the errors you’ve run into with Surfshark from happening again.
Does HBO Max still work with VPNs?
Yes, HBO Max will still work with a VPN, but you need to use a VPN that has IP addresses that are still compatible with the service. That means you need a VPN that hasn’t had all of its IP addresses blocked by HBO Max and that can stay ahead of HBO Max’s blocks.
To fix the problem, you need a VPN that plays a game of cat and mouse with HBO Max. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.66/month).
When HBO Max identifies and blocks an IP provided by ExpressVPN ($6.66/month), they will close that IP and open a new one.
This will allow you to reliably watch HBO Max from anywhere in the world, and it will help to prevent the errors you’ve run into from happening again.
The best VPNs for HBO Max when Surfshark stops working
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
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.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. Private Internet Access 🥈
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
3. NordVPN 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
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
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
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
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
