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

At Wayne County Jail, "Visit Now" is the on-demand option. Instead of booking ahead, you try to connect right away. To use it, you'll need the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or access to gettingout.com. Scheduling is the planned route. You select the inmate first, choose "Online Video Visit," then pick a date, time of day, visit length, and an available time slot. If your schedule is tight or you're coordinating with other family members, that structure makes things a lot easier.

If you're the one starting the Visit Now session (a visitor-initiated, incoming visit), you can do it from either a computer or a smartphone. That's helpful if you prefer a larger screen at home, or if you're already on your phone and want to connect quickly.

• ✓ Use the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or gettingout.com before you try to start a Visit Now visit.
• ✓ Match your device to who is starting the visit: visitor-initiated visits can be done on a computer or smartphone, but inmate-initiated visits require your smartphone.

Visit Now isn't guaranteed, even if you see the button. At Wayne County Jail, it only works when two things are true at the same time: you're an accepted contact for that inmate, and there's a video-visit tablet available (meaning one that isn't already in use). If your contact status hasn't been accepted yet, the system can't connect you through Visit Now. And if no designated video-visit tablets are free in the housing unit at that moment, the call won't go through, even if everything on your end is set up correctly.

1. Confirm you are an accepted contact - Visit Now only works for accepted inmate contacts.
2. Try again later if it will not connect - a Visit Now session also requires an available video-visit tablet that is not already in use.
3. Make sure you are using the right access method - use the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or gettingout.com before attempting to initiate Visit Now.

Schedule a video visit when timing matters and you don't want to gamble on a "right now" connection. The process is straightforward: select the inmate, choose "Online Video Visit," then pick the date, time of day, visit length, and an available time slot. Scheduling also makes more sense if you have limited availability (work breaks, childcare pickups, or coordinating with other family). You get a defined appointment instead of hoping a video-visit tablet happens to be free at the exact moment you try Visit Now.

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• ✓ Use Visit Now if you want something spontaneous and you are already set up on the GTL Friends and Family Visit Now app (FnF Go) or gettingout.com.
• ✓ If you start the visit (incoming), you can use a computer or smartphone.
• ✓ If the inmate starts the visit (outgoing), you must be on a smartphone.
• ✓ If Visit Now will not connect, check the two deal-breakers: you must be an accepted contact, and there must be an available designated video-visit tablet not currently in use.
• ✓ Use scheduled video visits when you need a confirmed time. Select the inmate, choose Online Video Visit, then pick the date, time of day, visit length, and an available time slot.