If you’ve been watching HBO Max using TunnelBear and it’s suddenly not working, HBO Max has managed to ban the IP address TunnelBear assigned you.
It’s frustrating, right? But the good news is there are many ways you can fix this problem.
This article will explain how to resolve TunnelBear not working with HBO Max, and you can also read on to learn how to avoid this problem occurring in the future.
See also:
- The best VPNs for HBO Max (September 2023)
- How to make an HBO Max account outside the US: It’s EASY and only takes minutes! (September 2023)
- TunnelBear not working with Netflix? There’s a SIMPLE fix! (September 2023)
TunnelBear not working with HBO Max: Quick fixes
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Delete Cookies
Cookies are tiny files that are used to enhance your online experience. Numerous websites and applications make use of them.
The problem with Cookies is that they may retain information about your actual location in order to improve your experience.
HBO Max can access the location data saved in your Cookies. If this data differs from the location selected on TunnelBear, HBO Max will detect that you’re using TunnelBear and will ban your connection.
When attempting to resolve TunnelBear not working with HBO Max, deleting your Cookies is a good place to start.
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Change to a different US server
HBO Max has stopped working with TunnelBear because the IP address you were given has been detected and banned by the streaming service.
Changing servers will give you a new IP address, and if that address hasn’t been banned, HBO Max will work with TunnelBear.
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Upgrade to a VPN that’s still compatible with HBO Max
If you’ve gotten this far down the list, HBO Max has successfully blocked all the IP addresses TunnelBear can give at this time.
You can either wait for Tunelbear to resolve the problem on their end or resolve the issue yourself.
The fastest and most efficient method to resolve TunnelBear not working with HBO Max is to use a VPN that is still compatible with HBO Max.
You need to upgrade to a VPN that uses IP addresses that HBO Max hasn’t blocked and employs methods to remain one step ahead of HBO Max’s blocking efforts. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is our recommendation.
This VPN uses strong security features that will keep you from encountering the same problems you had when viewing HBO Max using TunnelBear.
Why does HBO block TunnelBear?
HBO tries to prevent any VPN from connecting to its service. It does this because of the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners.
HBO only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US. It does not have international broadcast rights.
HBO blocks users outside its broadcast zone (the US) from accessing its content to prevent copyright and licensing issues from arising. This is why you cannot access HBO Max outside the US without a VPN.
Because TunnelBear allows you to watch HBO Max outside its broadcast zone, HBO blocks IP addresses provided by the VPN to protect itself from financial punishments.
These blocks are why TunnelBear is no longer working with HBO Max.
How does HBO Max block TunnelBear?
HBO Max uses three techniques to block TunnelBear:
- The most common technique is all to do with the IP addresses TunnelBear can provide. TunnelBear has more customers than IP addresses, and this results in customers having to share IPs. HBO Max monitors for an abnormal amount (more than a standard household) of connections coming from the same IP address. When it sees hundreds or thousands of connections coming from the same IP, it knows that this is an TunnelBear IP address, 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.
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 TunnelBear 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) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
When HBO Max identifies and blocks an IP provided by ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access, 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 TunnelBear from happening again.
How to fix TunnelBear not working with HBO Max
To fix TunnelBear not working with HBO Max, you need to upgrade to a VPN that’s still compatible with the streaming service.
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will allow you to reliably watch the service from anywhere in the world and will prevent errors like the ones you’ve run into with TunnelBear from happening again.
Below is a list of the best VPNs to watch HBO Max outside of the US. All of these VPNs are able to stay one step ahead of HBO Max’s VPN blocking techniques, and they all have reliable servers around the world.
The best VPNs for HBO Max
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)
