How do I Set Up to Receive Phone Calls?

01

Setting up to receive phone calls from a loved one in county jail is one of the first practical steps a family takes, and the process is more specific than most people expect. The provider, account setup steps, and cost structure vary by facility, which means knowing exactly which company serves your loved one's jail is the essential starting point.

02Why the Provider Matters More Than the Phone Number

Jails do not use standard telephone carriers for inmate calls. Instead, county facilities contract with specialized correctional telecommunications companies. Only the provider holding that contract can connect calls from inside the facility — no other service will work, no matter how you configure your phone.

Each contract is exclusive, meaning one provider serves one facility at a time. Families sometimes try to sign up with the wrong company and wait days before realizing why calls never come through. Identifying the right provider before you create any account saves you time and prevents frustration during an already stressful period.

The provider controls how calls are billed, how accounts are funded, and what call types are available — collect, prepaid, or direct billing. Understanding these distinctions matters because they determine whether the cost falls on your loved one's account, your account, or a shared arrangement between both.

03How to Find Out Which Provider Serves the Facility

The most reliable approach is to contact the facility directly. Most county jails publish their contracted phone provider on their official website or will tell you when you call the main administrative line. Do not rely on general internet searches alone, because contract holders do change and outdated information is common online.

If you are trying to figure out how to find someone in jail before you even reach the phone-setup step, a county jail inmate search is the right first move. Once you have confirmed which facility is holding your loved one, you can ask that facility which telecom company they use for inmate calls.

InMato's free search tool covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states and surfaces official provider information alongside inmate location results. Because InMato is an information and referral service that only points families toward licensed providers, you are never redirected to an imitation site or a lookalike payment page. The search is free with no time limit and no account required.

Once you have confirmed both the facility and the provider, write both down. You will need the exact provider name when creating your account, and you will need to confirm the facility name matches what the provider's system expects — spelling variations and county abbreviations can cause account errors.

04The Main Providers Families Encounter

Several correctional telecommunications companies operate across the country. Each has a different setup process, app experience, and account funding method. Understanding which platforms families most commonly encounter helps you move faster once you have confirmed your facility's contractor.

Securus Technologies is one of the largest correctional telecommunications providers in the country and serves a wide range of county facilities. Families typically create an AdvanceConnect account on the Securus website or through the Securus mobile app to receive calls. The AdvanceConnect model means you deposit funds into an account linked to your phone number, and the jail system draws from that balance when your loved one calls.

Securus offers both prepaid collect and direct-billed options depending on what the facility allows. One limitation families note is that account setup requires you to register the specific phone number that will receive calls, and that number must be verified before calls can come through — a step that catches people off guard when they're expecting immediate contact.

Global Tel Link, commonly known as GTL, rebranded its corporate identity to ViaPath Technologies in January 2022. The family-facing customer portal is called ConnectNetwork, which is a pre-existing platform name that predates the corporate rebrand. Families setting up accounts typically do so through the ConnectNetwork website, where they fund a prepaid account in advance.

The registered phone number receives calls funded from the family-side account, the inmate-side account, or both depending on the facility's billing configuration. GTL's platform also offers a mobile app, though the experience of setting up account verification through that app has drawn mixed responses from users navigating it under stress. The concrete gap this points to is that families often need a guide that walks them through which account type to select and what each billing mode actually means — not just a registration form with no context.

ICSolutions, or ICS, serves many county and local jails, particularly smaller facilities. Their setup process involves creating an account at icsolutions.com and adding your phone number as an approved receiving number. Some facilities using ICS allow only local calls or restrict calls to landlines, which families with cell phones as their primary contact need to verify before completing setup.

ICSolutions offers a "Friends and Family" prepaid account that lets families pre-fund calls. One real limitation is that ICS coverage is concentrated in specific states and counties, and some families search for it by name when their facility actually uses a different provider — causing delays as they backtrack.

Telmate, now operating under the ViaPath Technologies umbrella in many markets, was a separately branded platform that some facilities still reference by that name in their documentation. If you see Telmate referenced on a facility's older materials, the current setup likely flows through the ConnectNetwork portal, but you should confirm directly with the facility rather than assume.

InMato acts as a starting point in this chain — not a phone provider itself, but a service that surfaces which licensed provider your facility uses so you are not guessing. InMato reviews from families consistently reflect the value of having that identification step handled before reaching out to a telecom company. Because InMato never touches user money, your deposit always goes directly to the official provider's secure system, not through any intermediary.

Pigeonly is a smaller service that some families encounter when searching for prison calling solutions. Rather than placing live calls, Pigeonly historically offered a relay approach where calls are routed through a flat-rate local number. Families pay a subscription and receive calls through that relay. The tradeoff is that not all facilities allow this type of routing, and the call experience can differ from a direct account with the primary provider.

ViaPath Technologies is the current corporate name for what was formerly GTL. The ViaPath umbrella includes GTL, Telmate, and related services under a single parent company since the January 2022 rebrand. If you encounter ViaPath branding on a facility's current documentation, the registration process flows through their family portal. Families dealing with multiple branding names for what is functionally the same underlying platform often benefit from going directly to the facility to get the current web address for setup.

05Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Your Account

Once you know which provider serves your loved one's facility, the setup process follows a predictable pattern across most platforms. The steps below apply in substance to the majority of correctional telecom providers, though exact screen names and menu labels will differ.

The first step is to go to the provider's official website. Type the provider name directly into your browser rather than clicking on search ads, because lookalike sites exist that collect payment information without being authorized providers. The official facility documentation or a verified referral source is the safest way to get the exact URL.

Create a family or "Friends and Family" account using your name, a valid email address, and a secure password. This account is separate from any inmate account — you are creating an account for the person on the outside who will be receiving calls. You will link your phone number to this account during registration.

Add and verify the phone number that will receive calls. Most providers send a verification code by text or a verification call to the number you enter. Complete this step before attempting to fund the account, because an unverified number cannot receive calls even if there is a balance. This single step is where many families get stuck, especially if the verification call goes to voicemail or the code expires.

Once your number is verified, add funds if the facility uses a family-funded prepaid model. If the facility uses an inmate-funded model, your loved one's account needs to be funded — often through a jail commissary deposit rather than through your account. Confirm which model applies before depositing anywhere. This is also a good moment to ask whether the facility allows collect calls billed to your phone line, which may not require a prepaid balance at all.

Download the provider's app if one is available for your phone type, and enable notifications. Some providers send a notification to your phone moments before a call comes in, which gives you a few seconds to answer before the call drops. If you miss a call, most systems do not have a reliable voicemail equivalent — the call is simply lost.

If you are asking "How do I Set Up to Receive Phone Calls?" and have completed all of these steps but still aren't receiving calls, the most common reasons are an unverified phone number, an account that's set up with a different provider than the one the facility uses, or a facility restriction that blocks certain area codes or call types. Calling the provider's customer support line with your account number in hand is the fastest path to resolving any of these issues.

06Understanding Call Types and Billing

Prepaid collect calls mean your loved one initiates the call, and the cost is billed to a balance you have pre-funded on the provider's platform. This is the most common arrangement and the one most family-side accounts are built around.

Direct-billed collect means the cost is charged to your phone bill through your regular carrier. Not all carriers accept this, and some families find this option has been phased out at their facility. If your carrier does not accept collect-billed charges, you will need a prepaid account regardless.

Debit calling means the cost is drawn from a balance your loved one has on their inmate account. This requires your loved one to have commissary funds, and the call cost comes out of their end rather than yours. Some facilities use a hybrid model where either side can fund calls.

Video calls are a separate account setup on some platforms and may require a different registration process than voice calls. If your loved one's facility offers video visits, check whether that system is managed by the same provider as voice calls or a completely different vendor.

07Tips for Keeping Calls Coming Through

Once your account is active, keeping calls connected reliably comes down to a few consistent habits. Check your balance regularly if you are using a prepaid model — most providers will not notify you when funds run low, and a call will simply fail without warning when the balance hits zero.

Keep your account information updated if you change your phone number or email address. An outdated phone number means calls route to a number that no longer belongs to you. Updating account details is something most providers allow through the web portal but not always through the app.

If you use a jail booking alerts service or a release and transfer alert, coordinate that with your call setup. Knowing when your loved one is moved to a different facility immediately tells you that the provider you set up may no longer apply — facilities change telecom contracts when they change facilities, meaning a transfer can reset the entire phone setup process.

InMato+ includes booking-watch alerts, release and transfer alerts, and court date notifications at $19.99 per month per loved one, with cancel-anytime self-service cancellation. If your loved one is transferred, you receive an alert so you can immediately identify the new facility and confirm whether the phone provider has changed, rather than discovering the issue when calls stop coming through.

08When a Loved One Is in a Different State

Setting up calls across state lines follows the same process, but families should be aware that interstate calls from jail may be subject to different rate caps than in-state calls. The Federal Communications Commission has established rules on interstate correctional calling rates, and the current framework applies to calls that cross state lines. For current rate information, visit the FCC's website directly or ask the provider — rates and regulations change and should not be assumed from any secondary source.

If you are trying to send money to someone in jail in another state, the commissary deposit process is also managed through the facility's contracted provider, which may be different from the phone provider. Confirm separately which company handles jail commissary deposits at that specific facility, because using the wrong platform means your funds do not reach your loved one.

09What to Do When Calls Still Won't Come Through

If you have set up an account, verified your number, and funded the account but still are not receiving calls, start by calling the provider's support line rather than the jail. The provider can see whether your account is properly configured and whether calls are being attempted.

If the provider confirms everything looks correct on their end, contact the facility directly and ask whether your loved one has phone privileges and whether there are any restrictions on your phone number. Certain numbers — particularly numbers in area codes associated with businesses or government lines — can trigger automated restrictions in some systems. Ask specifically whether your number has been flagged.

The InMato app, available for families looking to stay informed at every stage, also surfaces official provider contact information alongside inmate location data, so you are not searching for a support number separately from the rest of your setup process. Because InMato is a referral service and not a phone provider, it does not replace direct contact with the provider — but it can help families get oriented faster.

10Supporting Your Loved One Through Regular Contact

Regular phone contact has real significance for people who are incarcerated and for families managing the emotional weight of the situation. The logistics of setting up an account can feel like a barrier, but once the setup is complete, the connection it enables matters.

If language is a barrier, know that InMato's resources and family support guides are available in English and Spanish, including information on finding a loved one in jail free and navigating the commissary and phone deposit processes. Families who speak Spanish should also confirm whether the provider's app and support line offer Spanish-language assistance, as this varies by company.

Finally, if you are unsure whether a service you found online is legitimate, that is a reasonable concern. Searching "is InMato legit" or researching any service before you enter payment information is a good habit. Official providers will always match what the facility lists as their contracted telecom vendor, and a referral service like InMato will never ask you to deposit money through its own platform — funds go directly to the official provider's secure system, always.

11About 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.

12Get 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. If you need help setting up phone calls within 48 hours of locating your loved one, InMato's referral service connects you with the right provider immediately.

Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/how-do-i-set-up-to-receive-phone-calls

Written by InMato