What Happens to Photos & Messages During the Growlersburg Tablet Switch
Worried about photos or message history during Growlersburg's move from ViaPath to Securus? Here's the bottom line: purchased ViaPath content doesn't transfer. But you can still take steps now to sort out unused balances and refunds.
Photos, e-messages, and other media purchased through ViaPath won't transfer to the new Securus tablets. Even though the tablet provider is changing, content bought inside the ViaPath system stays there - it doesn't move over as part of the transition.
Growlersburg is a fire camp, and CDCR lists all fire camps as fully transitioned to Securus. If your loved one is at Growlersburg, the "after the transition" rules about content and balances apply now - not sometime in the future.
The changeover involved an actual device swap. Incarcerated people turned in their ViaPath tablet and received a new Securus tablet during the transition. That's part of why purchased ViaPath content doesn't carry over to the new device.
Still have money sitting in a ViaPath balance you won't be using? CDCR says families can request refunds for unused balances by contacting the ViaPath call center. Before you call, gather whatever ties the account to your loved one - the name on the account, any order numbers, or transaction details from your ViaPath history. This helps you explain quickly what balance you're trying to refund.
There's a separate refund path for incarcerated people. CDCR says their unused ViaPath balances will be refunded automatically to their trust accounts. In plain terms: you may need to actively request a refund for money you personally left on ViaPath, while their remaining balance should be returned through the trust account process.
Note: CDCR says transition dates are tentative and could change, and there may be intermittent outages during the transition process. If you’re planning around tablet messaging or other services, confirm what’s working before you rely on it for time-sensitive communication.
CDCR's public guidance covers the big questions - what doesn't transfer and how refunds work - but it doesn't spell out every detail families usually need. There's no public timeline for how long refunds take, no list of exactly what ViaPath requires to approve a refund request, and nothing about what happens to older purchased media once the platform has changed. If you're tracking down a specific charge, confirming a refund status, or wondering what your loved one can still access after the switch, contact ViaPath or Securus directly for account-specific answers. Use CDCR resources for the latest transition updates.
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