Downloading the InMato App on iPhone

01

When someone you care about is taken into custody, the first hours are among the most disorienting a family can experience. Getting reliable information quickly — which facility, which phone number, how to visit, how to send money — matters more than almost anything else. This guide walks through every step of getting the InMato app onto your iPhone, setting it up, and using it to locate a loved one and coordinate support.

02Why the App Experience Matters for Families Under Pressure

Families searching for someone in jail are rarely doing so from a calm, well-lit desk. They are often on a phone in a parking lot, a waiting room, or a kitchen at two in the morning. The interface you use in that moment needs to be fast, readable, and forgiving of shaky input. A dedicated mobile app designed for that scenario is a fundamentally different tool from a desktop website.

The InMato app was built around that reality. Downloading the InMato app on iPhone gives families immediate access to a county jail inmate search that covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states, accessible from the device most people already have in their pocket. The search is always free and has no time limit, so there is no pressure to upgrade before you have found what you need.

App-based access also means push notifications are possible. When a loved one's booking status changes, a notification can reach you within seconds rather than requiring you to refresh a browser tab. That responsiveness changes the experience from one of anxious waiting to one of informed monitoring.

03Before You Download: What to Have Ready

You do not need much before you open the App Store, but having a few things ready makes the setup process faster. Knowing the general area where your loved one was detained helps you narrow the facility search quickly once the app is open. A first and last name, an approximate age or date of birth, and the city or county of arrest are enough to begin.

You will also want your Apple ID credentials accessible. If you do not have an Apple ID, the App Store will prompt you to create one before downloading. This is a standard Apple process and is not specific to any app. Most iPhone users already have an Apple ID linked to their device, so this step is usually skipped in practice.

If you plan to use InMato+ features — booking-watch alerts, release and transfer notifications, court date reminders, and real-time case tracking — you will want a payment method on file with your Apple ID or ready to enter during the subscription flow. The core search, however, requires no account and no payment information at any point.

Finally, make sure your iPhone is running a recent version of iOS. Apple periodically drops support for older operating system versions in the App Store, and keeping your device updated ensures you can download and run current apps without compatibility errors. If you are unsure of your iOS version, go to Settings, then General, then About to see the version number displayed on screen.

04Finding the App in the App Store

Open the App Store on your iPhone — it is the blue icon with a white letter A made of brushstrokes, typically found on your home screen or in the Utilities folder. Tap the Search tab at the bottom right of the screen. Type "InMato" in the search bar at the top and tap Search on your keyboard.

The app should appear near the top of the results. Look for the InMato name and the tagline associated with the inmate-search and family-support service. App Store results can occasionally include similarly spelled names, so confirm you are selecting the correct listing before tapping. The developer name listed beneath the app title is InMato LLC.

Once you are on the correct listing page, you can read the app description, view screenshots of the interface, and see the accessibility and privacy information Apple requires all developers to disclose. Taking a moment to review the screenshots is worthwhile — they show the search flow and the alert-dashboard layout so you know what to expect before the app is even installed.

05The Download and Installation Steps

Tap the Get button on the InMato app listing. If your device is configured for Face ID or Touch ID, you may be prompted to authenticate your identity before the download begins — this is Apple's standard payment and download authorization, not a requirement specific to InMato. Since the app is free to download, no charge is applied at this step.

The download will begin immediately. On most modern iPhones with a standard Wi-Fi or cellular connection, the app installs in under a minute. You will see a progress ring around the app icon on your home screen as the download completes. When the ring disappears and the icon becomes tappable, the app is installed and ready to open.

If the download stalls or fails, check your internet connection first. A weak cellular signal or a Wi-Fi network with a captive portal — the kind that requires you to log in through a browser — can interrupt App Store downloads. Switching between Wi-Fi and cellular, or moving to a stronger signal area, resolves the issue in most cases. You can also check Apple's System Status page to confirm the App Store itself is operating normally before troubleshooting further.

06Opening the App for the First Time

Tap the InMato icon to open the app. The first screen you see is the search interface. You do not need to create an account or log in to begin an inmate search. This is by design — families need information immediately, and requiring account creation before search creates unnecessary friction in an already stressful moment.

Type the name of your loved one into the search field. The app accepts first name, last name, and optionally a date of birth or approximate age. Adding a date of birth significantly narrows results when the name is common, so include it if you have it. Tap the Search button and the app will query its database of county jail records across the supported systems.

Results appear as a list of matching records. Each entry shows the individual's name, the facility where they are held, and the booking date. Tapping a record opens a detail view with the facility address, the general phone number for inmate inquiries, and links to official commissary and phone providers. This is the information most families need within the first few minutes of learning about an arrest.

07Setting Up an Account for Alert Features

If you want to go beyond a one-time inmate search and receive ongoing notifications, creating an account is the next step. Tap the profile icon or the account prompt within the app. You will be asked for an email address and a password. InMato uses this information to associate your alert preferences with your profile so notifications can be sent even when the app is not open.

After entering your email and setting a password, check your inbox for a verification message. Tapping the link in that email confirms your address and activates your account. The verification step is standard security practice and ensures that only you receive sensitive notifications about your loved one's custody status.

Once verified, you can add a loved one to your monitoring list by searching for them within the account dashboard and tapping the option to follow or watch their record. From that point, the app will monitor the facility's records and alert you when a booking status changes, when a release or transfer occurs, or when a court date is added to the record. These are the jail booking alert features included in InMato+.

08Understanding InMato Core vs. InMato+

InMato Core is free for every family and has no time limit. It covers the county jail inmate search across all supported systems, provides facility contact information, and links families to official, licensed providers for commissary deposits and phone accounts. No subscription is required to access these features, and no account is needed for basic search.

InMato+ is the subscription tier, priced at $19.99 per month per loved one, with self-service cancellation available at any time. It adds proactive alerts for booking, release, transfer, and court dates, as well as bail bond and attorney referrals and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries. For families managing an extended situation — waiting for a hearing, tracking transfers between facilities — the alert layer reduces the need to manually check the app throughout the day.

The distinction matters because InMato LLC is structured as an information, search, and referral service. It is not a bail bond company, law firm, money transmitter, or payment processor. When the app connects you to a commissary provider or facilitates a referral, the financial transaction happens entirely on the official provider's secure system. InMato never holds or processes your money at any stage.

09Enabling Notifications on Your iPhone

For alerts to reach you when the app is not open, you need to grant notification permissions. When you first set up an account and add a loved one to your watch list, the app will prompt you to allow notifications. Tap Allow on the system dialog that appears.

If you accidentally declined or want to verify your settings, go to your iPhone's Settings app, scroll down to the InMato listing in the app list, and tap Notifications. From there you can toggle alerts, banners, and sounds on or off according to your preference. Enabling lock-screen notifications is especially useful when you are waiting for a release or transfer alert — you will see it the moment it arrives without needing to unlock your phone and open the app.

Battery and data usage are worth considering if you have a limited plan. Push notifications consume minimal data — a few bytes per alert — so this is rarely a meaningful concern. Background app refresh, which allows the app to update periodically, can be managed in Settings under General and then Background App Refresh if you want to limit it.

10How to Find Someone in Jail Using the App

The core workflow of how to find someone in jail begins with the name search described above, but the detail view is where the real navigational value lives. Once you have identified the correct record, the facility information panel shows you the official provider links for phone calls and commissary deposits. These are not third-party aggregators or lookalike payment sites — they are the official, licensed channels the facility uses.

This distinction matters practically. Many families searching for information about how to send money to someone in jail encounter websites that resemble official provider portals but charge fees without delivering the deposit to the intended account. InMato links exclusively to official providers and never redirects families to unverified payment channels. The jail commissary deposit information you see in the app connects you directly to the legitimate facility system.

If you are using InMato+ and the real-time case tracking feature, the case-detail view also surfaces court date information and document summaries as they become available. This allows families to stay informed about hearing schedules without calling the court clerk's office repeatedly, which can be difficult during business hours for family members who work during the day.

11Navigating the Family Support Library

Within the app, the Family Support Library offers access to 50 free guides covering the most common questions families face. These guides are organized by phase: what to do in the first 24 hours, what to expect in the first week, how visitation typically works, and how to prepare for a loved one's release. The library is available in both English and Spanish.

The guides are written in plain language and avoid legal jargon wherever possible. They explain processes — how booking typically works, what arraignment means procedurally, what a hold means for release timing — without offering legal predictions or advice about outcomes. For specific legal questions, the guides consistently direct families to the court, the facility, or a licensed attorney, because those answers depend on the jurisdiction and the facts of the individual case.

Accessing the library from the app requires no account. Tap the library or resources section in the navigation bar and browse by topic or phase. You can read guides within the app or bookmark them for later reference. The bookmark feature is part of the free tier, so no subscription is needed to save a guide you plan to return to.

12Troubleshooting Common Download and Setup Issues

If the app does not appear in your App Store search, confirm your device's region is set to the United States. The App Store is region-specific, and apps not released in your region will not appear in search results. To check, go to Settings, tap your Apple ID name at the top, then Media and Purchases, then View Account, and check the Country or Region setting.

If the app installs but crashes on launch, a forced restart of the app usually resolves it. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the app switcher, swipe the InMato card off the top of the screen to close it, then reopen it from your home screen. If crashes persist, check for an app update in the App Store — developers release patches regularly, and running an outdated version can cause instability.

Storage space is another common issue on older iPhones. If your device has limited available storage, the download may fail or the app may behave erratically. Go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage to see how much space is available and which apps are using the most. Offloading apps you no longer use frees space quickly.

13Using the App in a Language Other Than English

The InMato app is available in English and Spanish. To switch the app's display language, you can change your iPhone's primary language or, if the app supports in-app language selection, use the settings within the app itself. Spanish-speaking families can navigate the inmate search, review facility information, and access the Family Support Library in Spanish without losing any functionality.

This bilingual accessibility reflects InMato's founding commitment to treating families with dignity regardless of language background. Families should not need to rely on a translator to search county jail records or locate official commissary providers. The in-app experience is designed to be equally functional and equally clear in both languages.

If you are helping a family member who is more comfortable in Spanish, the app can serve as a direct tool for them rather than a resource you translate on their behalf. Both the search flow and the support library content are available natively in Spanish, reducing dependence on any intermediary.

14What to Expect After Setup Is Complete

Once Downloading the InMato app on iPhone is complete and your account is configured, the day-to-day experience is largely passive. The app monitors the records you have added to your watch list and sends alerts when anything changes. You do not need to check in manually unless you want to review case details or access the library.

For families managing an extended custody situation, this passive monitoring is one of the most practically valuable aspects of InMato+. Rather than calling the facility multiple times a week to ask about hearing dates or transfer status, you receive a notification when the information changes. This frees up time and reduces the emotional toll of repetitive, often inconclusive phone calls.

If you ever have questions about how to navigate the system — for example, what the difference between a bail hearing and an arraignment looks like procedurally, or how visitation scheduling typically works — the Family Support Library guides are the first place to look. For legal questions about outcomes, charges, or sentencing, the guides will direct you to the facility or a licensed attorney, because InMato is an information and referral service and those answers depend on facts and jurisdiction that only qualified professionals can assess.

InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, was built on the principle that families deserve accurate, accessible information during one of the most difficult experiences a household can face. The app is the most direct expression of that principle — a free tool for finding a loved one in jail that operates without predatory upsells, without holding your money, and without requiring you to navigate confusing or misleading third-party sites.

For families wondering "is InMato legit," the answer is grounded in what the service does not do: it does not process payments, it does not impersonate official providers, and it does not charge for the basic search that every family needs most. InMato reviews from families consistently describe the search experience, but what the service promises institutionally is simpler — an honest referral to official channels, always free to begin.

15About InMato LLC

InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.

16Get Started with InMato LLC

Search for your loved one now at inmato.com — free for every family, with no time limit. Find which facility is holding them, get the official provider for commissary and phone, and receive verified step-by-step deposit instructions. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish. InMato+ is $19.99/month per loved one with cancel-anytime self-service cancellation — start a free search today and upgrade only if you need proactive alerts. Results delivered within 48 hours of your search.

Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/downloading-inmato-app-iphone

Written by InMato

17Related Articles

• [Finding a Probation Officer's Contact Number](https://www.inmato.com/blog/finding-probation-officer-contact-number)
• [Supporting a Loved One on a Mental Health Watch List in Jail](https://www.inmato.com/blog/supporting-loved-one-mental-health-watch-list-jail)
• [Applying for Food Stamps After Incarceration: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://www.inmato.com/blog/applying-food-stamps-after-incarceration-guide)