HBO Max is launching a new AI-powered vertical short video discovery feature on iOS

Warner Bros. Discovery is introducing HBO Max Shorts, a vertical video feed for discovering shows and movies within the HBO Max app, a feature similar to those already introduced by services such as Netflix and Disney Plus. Initially available to selected iOS users in the United States, the feature adds a dedicated icon to the bottom navigation menu and includes trailers, scenes, promotional clips, and bonus content from the HBO Max catalog.

Clips are selected using an in-house AI tool that analyzes scene-level metadata across thousands of hours of content to identify visually engaging or plot-relevant moments. HBO Max editors then review the suggestions, choose the clips that best represent each title, and adapt them for vertical viewing. The feed is personalized based on each user’s watch history, and viewers can open the featured title directly or save it to their list.

HBO Max Shorts is expected to expand to more devices and markets, add sports content, and improve its recommendations based on user activity. HBO Max is also testing a separate conversational search feature that supports natural language queries, initially available to adult Android users in the United States.