I think this is one of the less-clear “tricks” that Andre shows us. When he does it, there is the barest of “snaps” between his fingers and his yo-yo just seems to climb up the string by magic.
For a less responsive yo-yo, yes; you do need to grip it and give it some torque to create the spin you need for the bind. It does not need to be anything like the spin you get on a good breakaway, but you do need to “snap it” (rotate it rapidly about its axis) with a bit more sheer force than Andre seems to use in his tutorial.
If you can grip the yo-yo and use your wrist and fingers to spin it, you should be fine. I found that adding a bit of upswing on my string-hand helps with the bind too.
… at least for me 