Most of us have experienced this: you sit down with dinner, open your favorite app, and end up scrolling through movie posters for twenty minutes while your food gets cold. Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to solve this indecision with HBO Max Shorts.
HBO Max Shorts is a new vertical video feed in the mobile app that helps you find your next show or movie through swipeable clips.
What Is HBO Max Shorts and how does it work?
If you have used TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, this will feel familiar. HBO Max is testing a new “Shorts” tab on the bottom navigation bar for some iPhone users in the U.S.
When you tap it, you go straight into a full-screen vertical feed with quick highlights, official trailers, and behind-the-scenes extras from the HBO Max library.
If a 15-second clip interests you, there is no need to search for the title. You can tap to start watching the full show right away or save it to “My List” for later.
The feed learns your preferences from your viewing history, so your recommendations become more personalized as you use it.
How are they churning out all these bite-sized clips?
Warner Bros. Discovery created a custom AI tool that reviews thousands of hours of movies and TV shows to find the most exciting, funny, or dramatic moments.
But AI does not do everything alone. Human editors check each AI suggestion to make sure the clips really capture the feel of a show before turning them into vertical videos.
The company hopes that by showing you a quick visual sample of a show’s dialogue and pacing, you will spend less time reading plot summaries and more time watching.
HBO Max Shorts may be full of sudden spoilers
A TikTok-style feed is convenient for browsing, but some subscribers have noticed a possible downside: major spoilers.
Since the algorithm uses dramatic scenes to catch your attention quickly, there is a real risk of seeing big plot twists or character deaths from popular shows you have not finished.
Clips from suspenseful shows like The Sopranos or The Pitt could spoil important moments if the feed shows scenes from later seasons. If you want to avoid spoilers, swipe with caution.
HBO Max is also testing a Smart Search feature
HBO Max Shorts is not the only update heading to your phone. The streamer is also testing “Ask HBO Max,” an AI-powered search bar currently rolling out to select Android users in the U.S.A.
Instead of searching for exact movie titles, you can type phrases like “comfort movies for a rainy night” or “funny workplace comedies,” and the app will understand what you are looking for.
Both updates are still in early testing. HBO Max plans to improve the experience and slowly bring vertical video and conversational search to more devices, international markets, and even live sports in the coming months.