HBOMax conversion to MAX

I’m trying to distill the answer to the underlying question – which thus far is unclear thanks to fuzzy moderator responses like “however, you will have access to 4k options with select movies” . 

A while ago I switched to Unlimited Elite because I got HBO Max for free which I use a lot on my 4K TV

After the switch to Max I can only stream in HD (not UHD) which makes the Max add-on useless

What makes this  really frustrating is that I cant even downgrade as the next tier down cost the same

Feels scamy!

Hello scott_sovereign, we're here to help you with your Max subscription inquiry.

We want to get you into a Direct Message to review further. Check your Direct Message Inbox (it's the chat icon next to the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Forums).

Jeff, AT&T Community Specialist

It appears from what I have been reading we will get the 4K/Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos on our existing ad-free plan for at least 6 months.  Not sure what will happen after that whether AT&T will upgrade us to the higher tier or we will be at the middle tier with HD access only.  Having HBOMAX has been my incentive to stay with my AT&T mobile and internet plans and save that 15.00 per month.  However the 4K features are important to me and if I had to get a paid 19.99 Max plan to retain such features, I would be no longer tied to AT&T and perhaps look at other providers and possibly break even on the cost. 

Hello scott07002, we're here to help with HBOMax!

AT&T customers will continue to have access to 4K and 3 consecutive streams in their grandfather plans until a date yet to be determined. Eligible AT&T customers are not currently in the Max Ad-Free or Max ultimate Ad-Free plan they are in a grandfathered version. Customer will still have access to their original HBO Max plan features for a minimum of six months of following the launch of MAX.

Feel free to reach back out if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thank you for visiting AT&T community Forums.

Carlton, AT&T Community Specialist 

My take on all of this, and to be clear, I have a standalone Max subscription (nothing bundled thru AT&T or any of its services) is this:

Which ever tier you have now will continue as before for the next 6 months. But once that "grace" period is over, then Max will either change your plan options to whichever matches what you are paying now, and if you want the 4k/HDR 4 streams then you will need to upgrade your plan to the Ultimate tier. However, that means you will cancel whatever you have thru AT&T and start off as new subscriber or transfer your subscription to Max. Right now, I have the Ad-Free tier thru Apple, which is $15/month. 4k/HDR and two users works as it always had so we've had no interruptions. That will probably change by the end of the year so if we still want 4k/HDR, we will have to upgrade to the Ultimate tier. AT&T will more than likely just wash its hands with "free" Max for their customers sometime next year.

We understand the importance and urgency of making sure you can still stream Max in 4K with your Unlimited Elite plan, bellyhead.

This is not the experience we want you to have, and we want to step in to help. Let's meet in a Direct Message on this together, so we can check if your plan is still eligible for 4K streaming, check if you might have a bundled add-on and work towards a solid resolution. Please check your Direct Message inbox (it's the chat icon next to the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Forums).

We look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums!

Nelson, AT&T Community Specialist

Hey @ATTHelp can you please also DM me about this? I couldn't see how to message you myself, and chat is not working either atm. 

Hello, @snake101st! We'd be glad to help clear things up regarding Max's new 4k-capable third-tier subscription in a DM. 

Please check your Direct Message inbox by clicking the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Community & Forums website.

We look forward to hearing back from you, and thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums!

Kiara, AT&T Community Specialist

Uhh can AT&T figure this out like asap? How did they not develop a plan ahead of time for customers to have the option to pay the difference for access to Ultimate?