If you own an iPhone X and are subscribed to the online-only HBO NOW service, go ahead and update your copy of the app to the latest available version in order to be able to enjoy your favorite shows without ugly black bars at the top and bottom.
Version 2.7 of the official HBO NOW app for iPhone and iPad was updated this morning on App Store with support for the edge-to-edge OLED display on the new iPhone X.
No other changes are mentioned in release notes accompanying the download.
Many of the popular apps and games have picked up support for the native display resolution on iPhone X in the past few weeks, but there are still some notable holdouts.
Apps that have not yet taken advantage of Apple’s new guidelines to fully embrace the notch are rendered with black bars at the top and bottom. They still function normally, but don’t take full advantage of all the pixels (2436 x 1125) that the 5.8-inch Super Retina display offers.
I’m bummed that HBO’s app does not stream high dynamic range video that the OLED panel on iPhone X supports natively. The app also does not currently support 4K streaming.
HBO NOW is available for $15 per month. The service is US-only.