HBO GO & NOW Are Down or Crashed: Fixes for Game of Thrones’ Documentary ‘The Last Watch’

HBO

Did HBO GO or HBO NOW just crash for you while you were trying to watch the new documentary, The Last Watch? Many people are trying to watch the documentary special for Game of Thrones live tonight, so it’s possible that HBO’s servers will get overloaded like they did for the premiere and the finale. Here are some fixes to try, along with alternatives if they don’t work soon.


If HBO GO or HBO NOW Crash, Try Restarting the App or Watching the App on a Different Device

Sometimes the HBO servers get overloaded and the streaming services crash. Even though it’s not a big episode, it’s still likely to happen during the documentary too. You might see error messages, the service might just go completely blank, you might just see a black screen, or the screen might be stuck loading while nothing happens and no progress is made.

If HBO GO or HBO NOW are down for you tonight, first make sure your app is updated to the most recent version.

If you’re watching on a browser, try a different one. A couple weeks ago HBO had problems specifically with playback involving Chrome or Firefox for both NOW and GO.

If that doesn’t help, try restarting the app or switching to a different device. Some viewers may report trouble with the website, for example, but find that the documentary may load fine on their iPad or phone. Or maybe it won’t load on their iPad but it loads fine on their Xbox. For some reason, some versions of the app might work even if another one isn’t.


See What HBO GO & HBO NOW Are Saying on Twitter & on Their Websites

Check for new tweets from HBOGoHelp or HBONowHelp (be sure and switch the timeline to “latest” rather than “top” in the Twitter timeline.) Sometimes HBO will address immediate issues on its relevant Twitter accounts, helping users know what the problem is and what they can do.

If you don’t see anything, check tweets sent to those accounts to see if others are reporting a similar issue or sharing their own fixes. Be sure and check tweets and tweet replies from the HBO accounts, as they may address an issue in a reply rather than an original tweet.

You can also tweet directly to either account. HBO GO may respond by asking you to direct message them with your HBO ID, email, TV Provider, Device, bandwidth, and the troubleshooting steps you already tried. For HBO NOW users, you may be asked to DM with your HBO NOW email address. Don’t tweet any private information to either GO or NOW, because you don’t want that information to be public. Only share it in a DM to either of the two accounts.

Here is where you can find HBO GO troubleshooting steps:

And here is where to get sign-in help for HBO NOW:

If all else fails, give one of these alternatives below a try.


Amazon & Hulu Are Among the Alternatives

Here are the backups, some of which can be accessed with free trials that you can use until HBO GO or HBO NOW is working for you again:

Amazon Prime

If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch live and on-demand HBO content through the HBO Amazon Channel, which also comes with a free 7-day trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the HBO channel, you can watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.

Hulu

Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, HBO is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. Once signed up, you can watch the show live as it airs, or you can watch it on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (on-demand only), Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.

PlayStation Vue

Whether you already have PlayStation Vue or you want to start a free 5-day trial of PlayStation Vue, you can watch live and on-demand HBO content through the HBO add-on, which comes with a free 7-day trial. Once signed up, you can watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.


Viewers Have Had Problems with Every Episode

One error people get is simply seeing a blank or black screen:

Or the app may just endlessly load.

 

 

For some, the stream slows or stops midway through the episode.

Or they just get this annoying error message:

Here are some problems fans had last week:


If You Wait It Should Work Soon

Another option is just to wait. Since this is a documentary and not a new episode, you’ll be less likely to see spoilers online. Just stay away from social media and try again in 30 minutes to an hour. It usually only takes a few minutes for the servers to clear up and start working again. You’ll still be able to watch tonight, you might just have to wait a bit.

READ NEXT: Where Was Jon Snow Going in the Game of Thrones Finale?