Smart rings, they’re finger-sticking good!
A UK man has sworn off a certain piece of electronic jewelry after he was prevented from boarding a flight because it wouldn’t come off his finger. He detailed the humiliating ordeal in a series of X posts taking off on the platform.
The passenger in question, Daniel Rotar, had reportedly been wearing a Samsung Galaxy Ring. This AI-enhanced piece of gadgetry monitors sleep, activity, heart rate, and other health markers, but fits around one’s finger, unlike the clunkier Smartwatches.
According to the posts, the traveler had been traveling back from Hawaii from a tech summit — an Odyssey that involved “3 different flights and 2 long layovers” — when the gadget’s lithium-ion battery swelled and trapped his finger.
“Ahhh…this is…not good,” wrote Rotar, who runs ZONEofTECH YouTube channel. “My Samsung Galaxy Ring’s battery started swelling. While it’s on my finger. And while I’m about to board a flight. Now I cannot take it off, and this thing hurts.”
A follow-up photo showed the swollen device stuck around the tech whiz’s finger like a thumb handcuff.
Despite imploring Samsung for help on X, the Brit was unable to free his digit from the hi-tech prison and was prevented from boarding the flight as a result.
“I was denied boarding due to this (been traveling for ~47h straight so this is really nice),” lamented the content creator. “Need to pay for a hotel for the night now and get back home tomorrow.”
He added that he was “sent to the hospital” and had the Galaxy Ring removed, a process that reportedly required them to apply ice to reduce the swelling and “some kind of lubricant,” per a follow-up post.
“Won’t be wearing a smart ring ever again,” Rotar declared.
It’s yet unclear what caused the wearable health monitor to swell, but Rotar theorized in another post that causes could’ve ranged from salt water to the heat in Hawaii and even poor battery life that had been plaguing his Galaxy Ring for months.
He concluded, “Anything that has a battery that also goes on your body should be made super easy to take off, in case of battery expansion.”
The Post reached out to Samsung for comment.
X commenters sympathized with Rotar’s plight, with one writing, “Damn man, I’m sorry this happened to you, but since it did, Samsung definitely has to address it.”
“This is a real serious issue, like no joke,” said another. “The second gen needs an emergency removal system.”
One wrote, “That’s terrifying! Samsung should cover your hotel and new flight. Lithium batteries in wearables are no joke.”
According to a recent update from Rotar on X, he finally got home after 50 hours of flying while Samsung refunded him for his overnight hotel, bought him a car to get him home, and even collected the faulty Galaxy Ring for “further investigation.”
“My finger is also doing well, aside from some small marks that I’m sure will heal in a few days,” he said.
The tech giant has since addressed the finger-trapping fiasco in a statement.
“The safety of our customers is a top priority and we are in direct contact with this user to learn more about their concerns,” they said, per Engadget. “While experiences like this are extremely rare, there are a few ways to attempt removing a stuck ring, including soap and water – or submerging your hand in cold water.”
When all other methods fail, the phone firm advises on its website that the afflicted hire a professional to cut off the accessory.
“Consult a medical provider to cut the ring off,” they write. “Do not attempt to do it yourself. The ring is an electronic device with an embedded battery. For safety, the ring must be cut along the indicator where the battery is not located.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time someone’s had their finger imprisoned by a Galaxy Ring.
There are whole Reddit threads dedicated to this complication, many of which noted that Samsung has been offering free replacements for faulty devices, but that these ended up having the same issue.
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