Visit Now vs. Scheduled Video Visits at Wayne County Jail: Which to Use

Trying to decide between Wayne County Jail's

Visit Now is for those

Even though you trigger the visit from your side, the session doesn’t start until the inmate picks up on their end. They can use any available tablet in their unit, and the visit begins once they enter their PIN on that tablet.

• ✓ Download the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or use gettingout.com before you try to use Visit Now.

When you press Visit Now, the system rings every available video-visit tablet in that inmate's housing unit. They can grab any open tablet, enter their PIN, and the visit starts. Timing matters here. If no tablets are free, there's nothing to ring. And even when tablets are available, the visit still depends on the inmate getting to one and signing in.

Device rules depend on who starts the visit. For visitor-initiated (incoming) visits - like Visit Now or any visit you kick off from your side - you can use either a computer or a smartphone.

1. Use Visit Now when you want to talk immediately - it’s meant for unscheduled, right-now visits.
2. Use Visit Now only when the basics are already in place - the inmate has to have accepted you as a contact.
3. Try Visit Now when tablets are likely to be free - it only works if there’s an available video-visit tablet in the inmate’s housing unit.
4. Remember what “connecting” really means - pressing Visit Now rings all available video-visit tablets in the unit, but the visit starts only when the inmate gets to a tablet and signs in.

Schedule a video visit when you want a predictable plan. You'll choose either Online Video Visit or Facility Video Visit, pick a date, time of day, and visit length. The system then shows available time slots so you can lock one in.

The biggest catch with Visit Now? It's not guaranteed. You can only use it with accepted inmate contacts, and only when video-visit tablets are available and not already in use. Plus, since pressing Visit Now rings all available tablets in the inmate's housing unit, timing can be tricky on their end - your call may be ringing, but they still have to reach an open tablet to accept it.

• ✓ Install the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or be ready to use gettingout.com.
• ✓ Test your phone for compatibility before the visit (after testing, the system shows a facility map and the facility phone number).
• ✓ Keep a smartphone available if you’re expecting an inmate-initiated (outgoing) visit, since those can only be completed on a visitor’s smartphone.