Man who was hospitalized after terrifying ordeal with Samsung fitness ring reveals what caused device to get stuck on finger
Daniel Rotar, a British YouTuber and smart ring user whose finger swelled so severely he had to be hospitalized, has shared a troubling update on the fiasco on social media this week.
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By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, US SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER
Published: 19:43 GMT, 9 January 2026 | Updated: 20:49 GMT, 9 January 2026
A smart ring user whose finger swelled so severely he had to be hospitalized has shared a troubling update on the fiasco.
Daniel Rotar, a British tech YouTuber with over 1.6 million subscribers, posted on X last year that the battery of his $400 Samsung Galaxy Ring swelled while he wore the device.
Rotar was about to get on a plane during the terrifying ordeal, but he was denied boarding and rushed to his nearest hospital to have the ring removed.
'Won't be wearing a smart ring ever again,' he said at the time. Such devices are similar to a smart watch, tracking health and activity, such as sleep, heart rate and steps.
Samsung and a third-party agency each initiated investigations of the case. Four months later, Rotar claims the company said the incident was caused by a cracked internal molding.
There was no explanation given about what may have caused this, but a defect like this is often caused by physical damage or a manufacturing error.
'Samsung tells me that both investigations reached the same conclusion,' Rotar wrote on X this week.
The company also claimed there was 'no wider product battery safety risk.'
The Samsung Galaxy Ring got stuck on Daniel Rotar's finger last year
However, social media users slammed Samsung's statement as 'just some corporate word salad' and said it 'did not provide any confidence in continuing use of the Galaxy Ring.'
Samsung's statement, which Rotar shared on X, reads: 'Customer safety is our highest priority. Samsung has been in regular contact with Daniel whilst we conducted our investigation.
'Following an examination by Samsung and then a further analysis by an independent external agency, it was confirmed that the swelling in Daniel’s Galaxy Ring was caused by a crack in the internal [molding] and that there was no wider product battery safety risk.
'The Galaxy Ring has been designed for everyday wear, with durability at the core. Customer care guides for all our devices can be found at: samsung.com/uk/support.'