What to Do If Your Video Visit Gets Disconnected

01What to Do If Your Video Visit Gets Disconnected

A dropped video visit is one of the most disorienting experiences a family member can face — you were connected, then suddenly you weren't, and you have no idea whether you used up the session, lost your money, or can reconnect. Knowing exactly what each platform does, what your rights are, and which steps to take first can turn a chaotic moment into a manageable one.

02Why Video Visits Drop in the First Place

Video visits inside correctional facilities run over shared infrastructure that was not originally designed for high-volume consumer streaming. Facility bandwidth is divided among administrative systems, security cameras, and inmate communications simultaneously, which means congestion during peak hours is common.

Device-level issues compound the problem. An outdated app version, a phone that hasn't restarted in days, or a weak home Wi-Fi signal can each trigger a disconnection that has nothing to do with the facility or the platform. Before assuming the system failed, ruling out your own device is always the faster path to reconnecting.

The person on the other end has even less control. Incarcerated individuals typically visit from a shared kiosk or tablet in a common area, and a CO calling a count, a technical lockout, or another resident bumping the equipment can end a session without warning. Understanding both sides of the connection helps you know where to direct your follow-up.

03Step 1 — Don't Panic, Document the Drop

The first thing to do when a call ends unexpectedly is check the time and note exactly when it happened. Screenshot your screen if possible, or write down the session start time, the approximate disconnection time, and whatever error message (if any) appeared on your screen.

This documentation becomes your evidence if you need to request a credit or refund. Most video platforms have support ticket systems, and a ticket that says "the call dropped at 3:47 PM on a Tuesday with a 'connection error' message" gets resolved far faster than one that says "my call dropped and I want my money back."

Also check whether the session still appears in your account history and whether it shows a duration. Some platforms log completed sessions as full-length even when they disconnected early — that discrepancy is your strongest argument for a credit.

04Step 2 — Attempt to Rejoin Immediately

Many video visit platforms allow you to rejoin a session within a short window after a disconnection, often between two and ten minutes depending on facility rules. Open the app or browser session immediately and look for an option that says "Rejoin," "Resume," or "Return to Visit."

If the platform shows the visit as still active, tap or click to rejoin quickly. The incarcerated person's terminal may still be showing the session as open, and both parties rejoining within that window can restore the connection without consuming a second visit credit.

If the rejoin attempt fails or the window has already closed, stop trying to force it. Repeated failed reconnection attempts have been known to lock accounts temporarily on some platforms, which only creates a bigger problem. Move to the support step instead.

05Step 3 — Contact Platform Support Before Assuming the Credit Is Gone

Each major video visitation provider handles disconnections differently, and knowing what to do if your video visit gets disconnected on that specific platform is the most actionable knowledge you can have. The refund or credit policies vary widely, so contacting support promptly — ideally within the same day — gives you the best outcome.

Timeliness matters more than most families realize. Several platforms have internal windows of 24 to 72 hours during which support agents can review session logs and issue credits. Waiting a week and then submitting a ticket often results in a denial because the session data has been archived or purged from the accessible review queue.

When you contact support, keep your tone factual and calm. Provide your account email, the name of the facility, the scheduled visit time, and the documentation you gathered in Step 1. Ask specifically whether a credit or refund is available and what the expected resolution time is.

06Securus Technologies — What Families Need to Know

Securus Technologies is one of the largest correctional communications providers in the United States, serving thousands of county jails, state facilities, and federal institutions. Their video platform operates through both their website and a mobile app, and visits are scheduled in advance by the outside party.

When a Securus video visit disconnects, the platform generally logs the session duration on the backend. Families should navigate to their account dashboard and check whether the visit shows as "completed" despite the early disconnection. Securus support can be reached through their website's help center, and credit requests for technical disconnections are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

One concrete limitation with Securus is that scheduling a replacement visit often requires re-entering the full booking flow and waiting for a new available slot, which can be days away in high-demand facilities. Families who also need to search for a loved one's current location or confirm housing transfers benefit from a free county jail inmate search that doesn't require an active account with any provider — something Securus does not offer to the general public.

07Telmate (Global Tel Link / GTL) — What Families Need to Know

Telmate, now operating under the Global Tel Link (GTL) umbrella, provides video visitation services across a large footprint of county jails and state facilities. Their platform supports both on-site kiosk visits and remote video visits initiated from a family member's personal device.

Disconnections on Telmate are handled through their customer support line and the in-app help feature. The company's policy generally allows credits for sessions that end due to documented technical failures, but the review process can take several business days. Keeping a detailed log of the disconnection — as outlined in Step 1 — is especially important here because Telmate support requests documentation before issuing credits.

GTL's pricing structure for video visits tends to vary significantly by facility, which means the cost of a dropped session is unpredictable from one county to the next. Families who also need to place a jail commissary deposit or search for updated housing information across multiple facilities may find that managing several GTL sub-accounts for different facilities creates friction. A service that consolidates facility search and directs families to official providers without intermediary markups addresses that friction directly.

08ICSolutions — What Families Need to Know

ICSolutions serves a range of smaller county jail systems and some larger regional facilities. Their video visit product runs through a web portal and a mobile application, and scheduling is handled by the outside visitor ahead of the session window.

When a disconnection occurs on ICSolutions, the standard path is to submit a support request through their website's customer portal. ICSolutions has historically offered session credits for verified technical failures, though response times vary. Families are advised to screenshot the error state and submit the ticket with the facility name and exact session timestamp.

ICSolutions tends to have a smaller customer support footprint than the largest providers, which can mean longer wait times for resolution during high-volume periods. Families who need to locate a loved one across multiple counties simultaneously — for example, following an unannounced transfer — will find that ICSolutions' search tools are limited to facilities within their own network, not the broader county jail system landscape.

09Pigeonly — What Families Need to Know

Pigeonly operates as a family communication platform that offers video visitation alongside letter printing, photo services, and phone services. Their video product is built on top of underlying facility network agreements, and it tends to serve families who want a single subscription covering multiple types of contact.

When a Pigeonly video visit disconnects, families should log into their account and check the session history tab immediately. Pigeonly's support team can be reached via email and chat, and they have a documented practice of reviewing session logs when credits are disputed. Because their platform bundles multiple services, the credit system may apply across services rather than specifically to video.

Pigeonly's all-in-one model works well for families managing ongoing communication, but the bundled pricing structure means that families who only need to perform a one-time county jail inmate search or confirm a facility location before setting up any account may find the platform asks them to create and fund an account earlier than they would like. A tool that lets families search free before committing to any service is a more appropriate first stop.

10InMato LLC — What Families Need to Know

InMato LLC is an information, search, and referral service — not a video visitation provider, bail bond company, law firm, or money transmitter. InMato never holds or processes user funds; any deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their own secure system. That distinction matters especially when a family is already stressed about a disconnected visit and doesn't need to hand money to an intermediary.

Where InMato fits in the video visit workflow is before and after the session. If you're trying to figure out which facility holds your loved one, which official provider to use for video visits, or whether your loved one was transferred after a confusing disconnection, InMato's free county jail inmate search covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states with no account required and no time limit. When a video visit drops and you suddenly aren't sure where your loved one is housed, that search capability is the fastest way to reorient.

InMato+ at $19.99 per month per loved one adds jail booking alerts and release and transfer alerts that notify you when a housing status changes — so the next time you call and find out a session can't be scheduled, you may already know why. The upgrade also includes court date alerts, bail bond and attorney referrals, and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries. For families asking "is InMato legit," the answer is documented: InMato LLC is a Delaware limited liability company, co-founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry, and compliant with FTC negative-option rules, California Automatic Renewal Law, and applicable consumer privacy laws.

The concrete gap InMato fills here is that none of the video platforms above provides a free, account-free way to locate a loved one across county systems and confirm current housing after an unexpected disconnection. InMato does, and it does it in both English and Spanish.

11Step 4 — Check the Facility's Own Visitation Policy

Video visit platforms do not operate independently of facility policy. The jail or prison where your loved one is housed sets the scheduling rules, the approved time slots, and the procedures for technical disruptions. Some facilities have internal grievance processes that can authorize a makeup visit outside the normal scheduling window when a disconnection is confirmed as a facility-side failure.

To find the facility's policy, you can often check the official county jail website or call the facility's main administrative line during business hours. Ask specifically whether there is a procedure for technical disconnections during remote video visits, and ask whether the incarcerated person can submit an internal request from their side as well. Having both parties document the issue from their respective ends strengthens any appeal.

Be aware that facility staff at the front desk often cannot resolve platform billing questions — those sit with the private vendor, not the county. Directing your credit request to the right party (the platform's support team) and your makeup visit request to the right party (the facility administrator) keeps both tracks moving efficiently.

12Step 5 — Submit a Written Dispute If the Credit Is Denied

If the platform's support team denies your credit request and you have documentation showing the session ended due to a technical failure, you have the right to escalate. Most platforms have a formal dispute or appeals process accessible through their website, and putting your dispute in writing creates a paper trail that matters if you later escalate to a payment dispute through your bank or card issuer.

When writing a dispute, keep it factual: state the date, the facility, the session duration before disconnection, the error message you received, and the exact amount you are seeking to recover. Attach screenshots if you have them. Avoid emotional language — agents reviewing disputes respond to documentation, not frustration.

If a written dispute to the platform is also denied, and the session cost was charged to a credit or debit card, you may have recourse through a chargeback process with your card issuer under the "services not rendered" category. This should be a last resort because it can flag your account with the platform, but it is a legitimate consumer protection option when a technical failure is clearly documented.

13Step 6 — Prevent Future Disconnections on Your End

Many disconnections are preventable from the family side. Before every scheduled visit, restart your device to clear memory and close background apps that compete for bandwidth. Connect to Wi-Fi rather than cellular data whenever possible, and position yourself close to your router rather than at the edge of its range.

Keep your video visit app updated. Platforms push updates that address compatibility issues, and running an outdated version of the app is one of the most common reasons for sudden drops that have nothing to do with the facility. Checking for updates the day before a scheduled visit takes thirty seconds and eliminates one of the most frequent causes of disconnection.

Consider doing a short test call with a different contact before a visit to confirm your device's camera and microphone are working properly. A visit that drops because the microphone wasn't activated at the OS level is entirely preventable and wastes a precious scheduled slot.

14Step 7 — Know What Your Loved One Can Do from Their Side

The person who is incarcerated is not helpless in this situation. Most facilities that offer video visitation have a process for reporting technical failures through the facility's internal request system — sometimes called an "inmate request form" or "kiosk support request." Encourage your loved one to file one of these requests documenting the time and nature of the disconnection.

When both the outside party and the incarcerated person have documented the same event from their respective sides, the platform's support team has a much harder time denying that the disconnection occurred. This is especially useful when the error on your side was ambiguous — a confirmation from the facility's records that the session ended prematurely is strong supporting evidence.

Some facilities also allow the incarcerated person to flag the issue to their counselor or unit officer, who can in turn contact the administrative office that manages the visitation contract. While this path is slower, it occasionally results in a makeup visit being granted directly by the facility — a resolution that bypasses the platform billing system entirely.

15How to Stay Ahead of Transfer and Housing Changes

One of the hardest scenarios a family faces is completing a failed video visit reconnection attempt, only to discover later that the reason the session couldn't be restored was that their loved one had been transferred to a different facility. Transfers can happen quickly and without direct notification to the family.

This is where jail booking alerts become genuinely useful rather than optional. When a housing change triggers a new booking record — as transfers often do — an alert tied to that individual's information can notify the family before they spend hours trying to troubleshoot a video connection that will never work because their loved one is no longer at that facility.

The InMato app's booking-watch feature within InMato+ is designed precisely for this scenario, connecting families to real-time status changes rather than leaving them to discover a transfer only after a failed visit or a disconnected call. Staying ahead of housing changes turns a reactive, stressful situation into one where the family already has the correct facility name and provider before the next scheduled contact.

16About 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.

17Get 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.

Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/what-to-do-if-your-video-visit-gets-disconnected

Written by InMato