Apple TV Channels are a convenient way to sign up to your favorite networks and watch all their content natively in the Apple TV app, with the App Store handling all billing. However, at least for CBS, it is possible to use your Apple TV Channels account to log in to the native CBS apps and website. Here’s how.

If you subscribe to CBS All Access through Apple TV Channels, you will naturally be able to view CBS shows inside of the TV app. The TV app is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Amazon Fire, Roku and a whole host of other devices. You can now save 50% with the TV+ bundle of CBS and Showtime too.

However, you may have other devices (like Android TVs and phones or maybe a Windows laptop) where you also want to enjoy CBS content. Some CBS content is also not available through the Channels experience, like CBS live sports.

To let you view CBS All Access on any platform where CBS has an app, using your Apple TV Channels subscription, then you have to follow these steps:

Sign into CBS on CBS.com. Open this page. Press the ‘Login with Apple TV’ button and enter your Apple ID information. Your Apple ID account is now linked to your CBS account. CBS All Unlock will unlock as long as you stay subscribed through Apple TV Channels.

With the CBS and Apple TV Channels accounts connected, you really do get the best of both worlds. You can use the TV app when you want to, or dip into CBS’s own apps at your convenience.

This is a really nice feature of the CBS All Access Apple TV Channels offering. It would be great if this kind of cross-platform login was available for other Apple TV Channels.

Unfortunately, it is up to the content providers to enable it. So far, we haven’t seen anyone else offer a log in experience like this. For example, if you buy HBO through Apple TV Channels, you cannot use that login anywhere else but in the TV app.

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