Unlocking HBO Max In Singapore
You can thank me later, my fellow Singaporean.
Now I am sure some of you know that Wonder Woman 1984 has been released on HBO Max. What you may not know is that there are going be a ton of other movies that would be released on that platform in 2021. Have a look at the list of the Top 10 here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK5e-46wjzI
These are blockbusters that you would normally have to catch in the cinemas, but because of the deal Warner Bros have with HBO- https://deadline.com/2020/12/hbo-max-warner-bros-movies-deal-jason-kilar-explains-move-1234649871/ — these movies are coming straight to our streaming screens instead. Of course you can (and should) still catch it in the cinemas if you prefer the experience. But for HBO subscribers this is a fantastic opportunity to save money, hassle, and be able to catch these shows with your whole family in the safety of home.
The big downside?
HBO Max is not available in Singapore! In fact, you cannot even download the app in the Google Play or Apple store. Even if you manage to download the app through online sources, you would still need to update the app in order to get the latest movies, and that would be impossible if your Apple or Google store is set in Singapore.
So how, you may ask? Well, you can either wait for HBO Max to be allowed into Singapore — which I think is going to be tough because the authorities would want to keep it away so that our cinemas would still have revenue — or you could follow these steps and unlock the gates through which award winning HBO content pours out and envelops all your entertainment senses.
Step number 1 — Get ExpressVPN
Avid Netflix-ers out there would probably already heard of this VPN. If you want to be able to access shows that are outside our set region — Singapore — then getting this is a must. The shows that we can access is restricted and curated according to the country we are at and this means that across the same platform, what someone would be able to watch on Netflix in Korea, Japan, United States and Singapore, could be very different. This is due to the myriad of censorship & copyright laws that each country has and is obviously, a big source of frustration to those of us responsible adult consumers who just wants access to all available content. With VPN installed, all those walls are broken down and you can start jumping through all the different country’s Netflix offerings.
Why ExpressVPN though? Again this was after painstaking research and testing during which I tried using at least 5 other VPN apps, none of which matched up to the efficiency, speed and workability of ExpressVPN. Hence to save you all the trouble, I am just going to recommend using this VPN. If you have an alternative that works better than ExpressVPN, please do let me know! There is a 7 days free trial for new users, after which it costs from just $8.32 per month, akin to the price of one movie ticket. Great value, in my opinion, just basing on the sheer amount of new content unlocked.
But wait a minute, aren’t we talking about HBO Max? You are right, detour over. Besides unlocking a region free Netflix, ExpressVPN is also essential in enabling you to get HBO Max in Singapore. Here are the steps you have to take –
(Disclaimer — I used a Samsung Android tablet to complete all of these. There are variations in what has to be done for Apple, PC, Smart Tv, etc. But I chose an Android tablet because there are less restrictions for Google Play Store as compared to Apple Store and I know how to Smart Cast from my tablet to the TV. You might have to download another app to cast it to your TV but that should be easy enough for you to Google research)
So go ahead and download ExpressVPN then set the region to United States. The interface is completely idiot-proof. You just have to download the app, install it, register for the 7 day free trial or choose whichever pricing package you want to pick up, then choose the United States network to connect to.
2. Changing The Play Store Region
Once you are connected, the next thing you have to do is to head to your Google Play store, Menu, Account, then under Country and Profiles you should now see an option to change your Play Store region to the United States. You won’t be able to just click on that option to change from your default of Singapore, so what you will need to do is to Setup New Payment and after a prompt for confirmation to switch region to the US, your country profile will be altered.
Now, you can search for HBO Max within the play store, and the app will appear for download. Go ahead and download it.
After downloading it and opening the app up, your heart will skip a beat because lo and behold, right in front of you is the poster for Wonder Woman 1984 with a bright golden “Play” button attached to it. You would be tempted to touch it, and despite your mind telling you there is no way you gain access this easy, you would go ahead and press “Play”.
And you know what? That is actually the next step! Because that brings you to the next screen we need to crack — The Log In. You will see two buttons, Subscribe or Sign In To Your Account. Click on the latter.
3. Cracking The Log-In (Not)
This was where I was really stumped for a few hours. I tried registering for an account, but despite using three different email address and three different passwords, the Log In just kept throwing back “Password For This Email Address Is Wrong”. So I couldn’t register directly for an account with HBO Max, which was weird because even though I could create an account and the app recognizes the account created, it refuses to acknowledge the password as valid. I even tried going through the whole Forget Password process where they would send me a link to reset my password through the email address registered to the account, but even after resetting the password, the app still refuses to accept the password as genuine.
I was teetering on the brink of smashing my tablet now. Took a breath, calmed down and tried to see if I could just key in the account name and password for my HBO Go account. Several articles I read said that most current subscribers to HBO would automatically have been upgraded to HBO Max, though they also said that this is only valid for those who subscribed through US telecommunication companies, or online media entertainment apps like Youtube TV, HULU, Amazon, etc. You can get more information from this article here — https://www.businessinsider.com/do-i-already-have-hbo-max
So obviously as my HBO was subscribed through Singtel and once again, NO telecommunications company in Singapore has HBO Max unlocked. So keying my user name and password for HBO Go to access HBO Max is like banging my head against the Castle Black’s wall (Game of Thrones reference, because HBO. Get it? Get it?)
So what now, you may ask again. Ok this is the second time you have asked me this now and I am frankly a little irritated by this consistent barrage of questions. Patience you must have, my young padawan (The Mandalorian reference, because HBO. Get it? Get…oh that’s Disney Plus? Erm.. ok moving on).
4. Signing Up For HBO Max Through …
So we have to sign up for HBO Max now. Yeah, but it’s not that simple though. You see, we can’t just sign up for HBO Max (https://www.hbomax.com/) while we are physically in Singapore. Without a VPN, if you go to the site, you will just see a “Not In Service Area or VPN Detected” message. Even with ExpressVPN on, I get the same message.
So the other option would be to explore signing up through one the streaming sites below -
- AT&T (HBO’s parent company) and DirecTV, U-verse, AT&T TV Now, AT&T TV and AT&T wireless users who can add HBO with certain unlimited plans.
- Charter and its Spectrum services.
- YouTube TV or Google.
- Apple.
- Hulu.
- Altice USA and its Optimum and Suddenlink services.
- Verizon and its Fios services.
- Cox Communications.
- The NCTC group of independent cable and broadband companies — that includes WOW!, Atlantic Broadband, RCN, Grande Communications & Wave, MCTV and others. (Check if your pay-TV provider is an NCTC member.)
- Comcast X1 and Flex customers.
- Amazon Prime Video Channels.
Source — https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-max-wonder-woman-1984-free-trial-movies-roku-app-time/
5. Going With Amazon Prime
Most of these names would be foreign to us, with the exception of Youtube TV, Apple, and probably Amazon Prime. Now I don’t have Youtube TV and I have spoken a little about avoiding the Apple Store, so I was really left with Amazon Prime. Since a subscription to Amazon Prime also gives me access to Amazon’s much smaller trove of content and free shipping on my shopping (though I realised later that this was only free shipping WITHIN United States, so pretty useless for me), I went with Amazon. You may want to explore the other options, especially if you are an Apple user or if you like Youtube TV’s content, but personally Amazon Prime makes the most sense. Remember though to head to Amazon Prime through this link -https://help.hbomax.com/Answer/Detail/2947
You will get detailed information on how to get HBO Max through an Amazon Prime membership. Remember this has to be accessed through the device on which you have the ExpressVPN, otherwise you will get the same “Not In Service Area” error message.
Here I encounter the next big issue. You see, one can’t sign up for Singapore’s version of Amazon Prime, it has to be the United States version. Which means I need a US billing address and payment info! This moment was also the second moment within the space of a few hours where I had to strongly resist the urge to smash my tablet into really, really small pieces. Again, I stopped, took a deep breath, and ventured forward.
Using this site — https://www.fakeaddressgenerator.com/usa_address_generator —
I generated a fake address to register. A prompt came up and told me that my address was wrong. Of course it was, but how did you know? As the State that was randomly generated was Michigan, I went to this site — https://www.bestrandoms.com/random-michigan-address — to get a real ‘fake’ address. And by golly, it worked! But what about the US payment info? I took my credit card out and decided to key in the info just to try if it worked…
And it did! A few clicks later I got an email notification that says that I am now a proud subscriber of HBO with Prime Video Channels. Almost there! Head back to the HBO Max app, and choose the option of signing in through Tv or Mobile. It will ask you to choose which Provider you subscribed HBO Max through, choose Prime Video Channels or click on the Amazon logo if you get a screen with a lot of logos. It’s weirdly inconsistent because sometimes when I log in I get the screen with the logos, sometimes I get the whole list of providers and I have to scroll down till I see the one that says Prime Video Channel.
6. Logging Into HBO Max, Finally!
Anyway, after choosing the provider, you will be prompted to sign in to your Amazon Prime account, and once that is done, there is a bit of profile setup similar to Netflix, and like-a-finally (Singlish slang, meaning objective achieved after going through numerous arduous hurdles. Nope, not found in most dictionaries) we’ve unlocked HBO Max!
Not For Everyone
Look, I cannot say that from everyone’s perspective, going through so many hoops and putting in so much work just to access a streaming platform is worth it. For any self-respecting movie buff though, this is absolutely essential. Yes there is cost involved ( ExpressVPN, plus a Amazon Prime plus HBO Max add-on would set you back around $40 ) but in exchange, you get to save a ton of money on movie tickets, and bragging rights as one of the first few Singaporeans to ever get connected to HBO Max. Plus, it’s gonna be a huge year on HBO Max in 2021 (refer again to the Top 10 Movies Coming To HBO Max in 2021 Youtube link I placed at the top) and instead of having to make special arrangements to head to the cinema at specific screening times, you can watch these movies at home, with all the food and snacks you want, dressed in whatever you want, with as many people as you want ( while observing safe-distancing measures of course ) and ON-DEMAND! Which means literally anytime, anyday! Now if that doesn’t get you scrambling to get all these steps done, then my words are wasted on you, and you should go back to your gardening or kite-flying or whatever other mundane thing you do, now.
Oh, you are still here.
It’s over.
Go do it.
Go.
