That's the "smart" in "smart remote control" apparently. Given that it's 2021, I wouldn't be surprised if their tech was that the remote control first connects

That's the "smart" in "smart remote control" apparently. Given that it's 2021, I wouldn't be surprised if their tech was that the remote control first connects to their servers to do <something> and you're actually subscribed to a cost plan in order to control your devices.