Find answers to common questions about Purple Visits prison video calls: account setup, ID verification, booking calls, technical issues, costs and privacy.
Welcome to our comprehensive FAQ page. Whether your loved one is in a prison (HMP), a young offender institution, a secure hospital or a secure training centre, we’ve organised answers to the most common questions about Purple Visits into helpful categories. Click any question to jump directly to the answer or scroll through to browse.
Purple Visits FAQ covers common questions about prison video calling including account setup, ID verification, booking calls, technical troubleshooting, costs and privacy. This Purple Visits help guide answers frequently asked questions about creating a Purple Visits account, adding prison contacts, requesting video calls, internet connection requirements, security selfies, face recognition technology, free call allocations and data protection rights for prison video calling across UK establishments.
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Setting up your account is straightforward. First, download the Purple Visits app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Then tap “Register” and enter your personal details exactly as they appear on your photo ID and proof of address document. Next, verify your email address, upload your photo ID and complete identity verification, add your contact (person in custody) and thats it, you can request your first video call.
Identity verification typically takes up to 48 hours and once that’s complete you can start booking calls.
Learn more in our Getting Started with Purple Visits guide.
For iOS devices, you’ll need an iPhone 11 or newer or an iPad (5th generation or newer). We recommend the latest iOS version. For Android devices, you’ll need Android 12 or newer on mid-range phones from 2020 onwards, with the latest Android security patches recommended.
For internet requirements, you need minimum 2 Mbps upload and download speed, with WiFi strongly recommended as it’s more stable than mobile data. You’ll also need a camera, microphone and speakers, all of which are built into modern smartphones and tablets.
Learn more in our Preparing for Your Video Call guide.
Yes, Purple Visits is free to download and use. There are no charges for creating your account, identity verification, adding contacts or the Purple Visits app itself.
At prisons in England and Wales the Ministry of Justice funds up to 60 minutes a month of free video calls (usually two 30-minute calls), at no cost to you or your contact. Some prisons offer extra calls at their own discretion; families are never charged. The exceptions are La Moye (Jersey) and Isle of Man, where there is no funded allowance and families pay per call with no monthly limit, and Rampton Hospital, where calls are funded by the NHS with no limit.
Account creation takes about 5 minutes, email verification is instant and identity verification takes up to 48 hours (usually within 24 hours). The wait time is mainly for identity verification security checks, not because of any complicated setup on your end. The actual work you need to do only takes about 5-10 minutes total.
You need one of these forms of photo ID to use Purple Visits: UK or foreign passport, UK photocard driving licence or CitizenCard (UK national proof of age card).
If you don’t have any of these, you can apply for a CitizenCard online at www.citizencard.com. This is a nationally recognised UK ID card that costs around £15 and takes 2-3 weeks to arrive.
Identity verification is mandatory for security and safeguarding. It ensures only approved people can access secure video calls with individuals in custody.
A security selfie is a photo you take of yourself using your device’s camera before each video call. It’s used to verify your identity and ensure you’re the approved person on the call.
You need it before every video call in the waiting room and occasionally during calls for random re-verification. Only the main account holder (you) needs to take security selfies, not additional participants.
For a good selfie, face the camera directly, ensure good even lighting on your face, keep your full face visible with hair away from face, remove glasses if they cause glare and hold your device steady.
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
Identity verification is required for security (ensures only approved people access calls), safeguarding (protects vulnerable individuals in custody), legal compliance (required by establishments and regulations) and trust (confirms you are who you say you are). This protects everyone involved: you, your contact and the establishment.
Accepted photo ID includes UK or foreign passport (current or expired up to 2 years), UK photocard driving licence (must be current), foreign photocard driving licence and CitizenCard (UK national proof of age card). You’ll also need proof of address such as a utility bill, bank statement or council tax bill dated within last 3 months.
The full list, including ID for other people on the call and the most common reasons documents are rejected, is in What ID do I need?
Not accepted are paper driving licences (must be photocard), non-photocard foreign driving licences, work ID badges, student ID cards, disabled badges, bus passes, train passes or birth certificates.
Learn more in our Verifying Your Identity guide.
The official timeline is up to 48 hours, typical actual time is within 24 hours and fastest cases take just a few minutes. Verification is usually processed automatically however if required a member of the team can help if your account verification keeps getting stuck.
You’ll receive an in-app notification when verified, email confirmation and then have the ability to request calls.
Most common reasons are photo quality issues like too blurry or out of focus, poor lighting (too dark or too bright), glare on the ID document or part of the ID cut off in photo.
ID document issues include expired beyond 2 years (for passports), currently expired (for driving licences) or not an accepted document type.
Information mismatch occurs when name on ID doesn’t match name on account, address doesn’t match proof of address document or details entered incorrectly during registration.
To fix it, read the rejection message carefully as it tells you what’s wrong, take new clear photos with good lighting, ensure all four corners of the document are visible, double-check your account details match your ID exactly and resubmit for verification.
Learn more in our Verifying Your Identity guide.
Yes, in most cases. Passports expired up to 2 years ago are accepted, the photo must still look like you and all details must be clearly visible.
For examples, expired 6 months ago is accepted, expired 18 months ago is accepted, but expired 3 years ago is not accepted. If your passport is expired more than 2 years, you’ll need to use a different form of ID or renew your passport.
Yes! Purple Visits accepts foreign (non-UK) passports from any country, as long as the photo is clear and looks like you, all details are readable and it’s current or expired within the last 2 years. You don’t need to be a UK citizen to use Purple Visits.
Don’t do this! Updating your account details while verification is in progress will restart the entire verification process from the beginning.
Best practice is to wait until verification is complete before updating any details, double-check everything is correct before submitting for verification and if you made a mistake, contact support rather than updating yourself.
A contact is the person in custody you want to have video calls with. You need to add them to your Purple Visits account and get approval before you can request calls.
Each contact needs their full legal name, their prison number (unique identifier), the establishment where they’re currently held and your relationship to them. You can add multiple contacts if you want to call different people in custody.
Learn more in our Adding a Contact guide.
A prison number (also called a prisoner number or NOMIS ID) is a unique identifier assigned to each person in custody. The format is usually a letter followed by 4-6 numbers (e.g., A1234BC).
You can find it when your contact tells you during a phone call or in a letter, it’s on any official correspondence from the prison or the establishment can provide it if you’re on their approved contact list. Get this directly from your contact or the establishment and don’t guess!
Good news: you don’t lose your contact when they transfer. Update their establishment in your Purple Visits account by selecting the new facility from the dropdown. The update is processed instantly and then you can book calls at their new location.
Note that free call allocations and schedules may be different at the new establishment. Check the new facility’s details in our Establishments directory.
If their establishment isn’t listed, it means Purple Visits isn’t currently available at that facility.
You can check our complete list of establishments, verify you have the correct facility name (sometimes similar names exist), contact the establishment directly to ask about Purple Visits availability and ask about other video calling options they may offer.
Purple Visits works at every prison, secure hospital and secure training centre on our establishments list, currently 19, with more being added.
You can add multiple contacts to your Purple Visits account with no specific limit. you can only have one active call at a time.
Once you add your contact’s details (their full name, prison or hospital number and establishment name), you can then go ahead and request a call with them immediately.
The approval process involves establishment staff reviewing your request, confirming your relationship to the contact, verifying the contact consents to video calls with you and security checks. You’ll receive a notification in the app when your call is approved.
Yes, you can remove a contact from your account at any time through the app. When you remove a contact, they’re removed from your contacts list, you can no longer book calls with them, any scheduled future calls are cancelled and you’d need to add them again if you want to re-add them later. This is permanent, so make sure you really want to remove them before confirming.
Additional participants are family members or friends who join you on video calls. They can appear on screen with you during the call. Examples include grandparents joining you and your children, siblings calling together or friends providing support.
You (the account holder) are the “main participant” and others who join are “additional participants.” Everyone must be pre-approved, with a maximum of 3 additional participants (4 people total including you).
Learn more in our Adding Additional Participants guide.
The maximum is 3 additional participants, plus you (main participant) makes 1, for a total of 4 people maximum on call.
You can approve multiple people on your account and choose which ones to include on each specific call. Not everyone needs to be on every call.
Adults (18 and over) must provide photo ID and verify identity. Children (under 18) don’t need ID as Purple Visits doesn’t require ID for minors. They will instead be verified with just a selfie image during the additional participant verification process.
However, the establishment may have their own requirements. Some establishments require parent or guardian consent for minors, proof of relationship and prior approval from establishment staff. Always check with the specific establishment about their policies.
No! Additional participants don’t need their own Purple Visits account. You (the main participant) add them through your account, if they’re 18+, they will need phto ID and proof of address just like main account holders, if they are under 18 then they can be verified with just a selfie image. Once approved additional participants can join calls with you using your device only, they cannot have their own calls. Only one account is needed per household / family (the main account holder’s).
Yes! You have complete flexibility. Approve multiple people as additional participants, choose which ones to include when booking each specific call, have different participants join different calls and you can even have calls with just yourself (no additional participants).
For example, book one call with your parents and another call with your siblings, both using the same account.
The process depends on your contact’s establishment. For family-initiated calls, open the Purple Visits app, select your contact, choose an available time slot, add any additional participants and confirm your booking.
For prisoner-initiated calls, your contact requests the call on their end, you receive a notification, accept or decline the invitation and confirm your availability.
Check your contact’s establishment page to see which method they use.
Learn more in our Requesting a Video Call guide.
It depends on the establishment. Different facilities use different booking methods. Family-initiated means you (the family member) request calls through the app. Prisoner-initiated means your contact requests calls and you accept the invitation.
Why it varies: each establishment sets their own policies based on their operations and systems. To find out, check your contact’s establishment page in our Establishments directory for their specific booking method.
Most establishments give up to 60 free minutes a month, usually two 30-minute calls or one 60-minute call, subject to availability at your establishment. This is part of the Ministry of Justice initiative to help families stay connected. These calls are completely free with no charge to you or your contact.
Important notes: free calls reset on the 1st of each month, unused free calls don’t roll over to the next month, some establishments may offer different allocations, so check your contact’s establishment page for specifics.
Some prisons offer extra calls at their own discretion, subject to availability; families are never charged at prisons in England and Wales. At La Moye and Isle of Man there is no funded allowance: families pay per call, with no limit.
Typical requirements are minimum notice of 2-5 days in advance and maximum advance booking up to 30 days.
Advance notice is needed to allow establishment staff to coordinate, ensure your contact is available and aware, give you time to prepare your setup and because popular time slots fill up quickly.
Best practice is to book as early as possible to secure your preferred time slot, especially for weekends and evenings.
Learn more in our Requesting a Video Call guide.
Typical duration is 30 minutes at most establishments, with 60 minutes at some establishments. Check your specific facility as call duration is shown in the app when booking and on your contact’s establishment page.
Time starts at your scheduled booking time, not when you connect, so join early! Time remaining is displayed on screen during your call so you can manage your conversation.
Yes! You can take your Purple Visits call from anywhere with a compatible device (iPhone 11+, Android 12+), strong internet connection (minimum 2 Mbps) and a quiet, private space with good lighting.
WiFi or mobile data both work, though WiFi is strongly recommended for stability. However, 4G/5G works if you have strong signal and sufficient data allowance.
Examples of suitable locations include your home, a friend or family member’s home, a quiet hotel room or any private space with good internet.
Not recommended are public spaces (privacy concerns), noisy environments (cafes, restaurants), moving vehicles (unstable connection) or areas with poor signal.
Join 10 minutes early by opening the Purple Visits app at your scheduled time, navigating to “Upcoming Calls,” tapping “Join Call” when the button becomes active, completing your security selfie verification, waiting in the virtual waiting room and when the “Connect” button turns from grey to purple, tapping it to begin your call.
Punctuality matters because arriving late means you lose part of your allocated time. The call ends at the scheduled finish time regardless of when you join.
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
The security selfie verifies your identity before each call. It ensures you’re the approved person on the call, no unauthorised people access the call and security and safeguarding requirements are met. Its a bit like showing your ID to the security staff before they let you into a social visit.
Only the main participant (account holder) takes the security selfie, not additional participants. For acceptance, ensure good lighting on your face, look directly at camera, keep full face visible with hair away from face and hold device steady.
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
Think “sit like reading the news”: calm, steady, clearly visible. For positioning, sit still and face forward, stay centred in camera frame and don’t move around excessively.
For visibility, keep hair away from face, keep full face visible at all times and if you have additional participants, either share the device and let each person have some time to speak or all clearly present on screen with no partial faces on desplay.
For lighting, face a light source, avoid backlighting and keep lighting consistent.
For behaviour, speak clearly at normal volume, have one person talk at a time, be patient with slight delays and stay engaged and present.
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
Calls pause automatically when face recognition detects an issue. Most common reasons are hair covering your face, lighting too dark or too bright, additional participants not fully visible or someone unauthorised in frame.
To fix it, move hair behind ears or tie it back, improve lighting (face a light source), stay centred in frame, keep all participants fully visible if on screen and remove unauthorised people from background.
The call resumes automatically once the issue is resolved. Pauses are normal, so don’t panic!
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
Occasionally, you may be asked to verify your identity again during a call. This is a random security check. An on-screen prompt appears, you look directly at the camera, keep face clearly visible, verification completes in seconds and call resumes automatically.
Only the main participant is re-verified, not additional participants. This happens because of random security checks throughout calls. It’s a standard safeguarding measur and shouldn’t happen very often.
No. Recording video calls is strictly prohibited for legal and security reasons, privacy protection for all parties, safeguarding vulnerable individuals and establishment security protocols.
This includes screen recording software, screenshots during the call and any form of audio or video recording.
Violations can result in account suspension, loss of video call privileges or legal consequences. Instead, be present, enjoy the moment and write down key points after the call ends.
You can still join, but you’ll lose part of your call time. The call ends at scheduled finish time, regardless of when you join. If you’re 10+ minutes late, it may be considered a no-show.
Best practice is to set reminders and alarms, plan to join 10-15 minutes early and if you’ll be very late, consider cancelling to preserve your free call allocation.
Learn more in our Cancelling or Rescheduling guide.
Minimum required is 1 Mbps upload and 2 Mbps download, with 5+ Mbps recommended for best quality. Test your speed at speedtest.net before your call.
For WiFi vs Mobile Data, WiFi is strongly recommended as it’s more stable, faster, with no data charges. 4G/5G works but is less stable and uses significant data (~500MB-1GB per 30-min call).
Learn more in our Preparing for Your Video Call guide.
Quick fixes: check WiFi is connected and working, move closer to WiFi router, close other apps using internet, restart the Purple Visits app, restart your device and try again.
During a call, wait 30 seconds to see if it reconnects, check your internet connection and try rejoining through your bookings.
For persistent issues, see our Technical Troubleshooting guide for comprehensive solutions.
Common causes are app needs updating, device needs updating, insufficient storage space, too many background apps or device incompatibility.
Solutions: update Purple Visits app (App Store/Google Play), update device operating system, free up storage space (delete unused apps/photos), close all other apps, restart device and reinstall the app if needed.
Learn more in our Technical Troubleshooting guide.
Quick checks: volume is turned up, device isn’t on silent/mute, app audio isn’t muted, try headphones if not using them and check WiFi connection is stable.
For detailed solutions, see our Technical Troubleshooting: Audio Issues guide.
Quick checks: microphone isn’t muted in app, app has microphone permission, nothing blocking microphone (case, fingers) and speak louder and more clearly.
Test your microphone by recording a voice memo to verify it works.
For detailed solutions, see our Technical Troubleshooting: Audio Issues guide.
Common causes are slow internet connection, poor lighting, dirty camera lens or too much movement.
Solutions: improve internet connection (use WiFi, move closer to router), add more lighting (face a light source), clean camera lens with soft cloth and sit still and stable.
Learn more in our Technical Troubleshooting guide.
To change email, open Purple Visits app, go to Settings or Account, select “Update Account Details” enter new email address and verify new email with code sent to it.
To change password, open Purple Visits app, go to Settings or Account, select “Change Password,” enter current password and new password and save changes.
Important: don’t change details while identity verification is in progress as it will restart the process.
Reset your password by tapping “Forgot Password” on login screen, entering your registered email address, checking email for reset link (check spam folder), clicking the link and creating a new password, then logging in with your new password.
Not receiving the email? Check spam or junk folder, verify email address is correct, wait a few minutes and try again and contact support if problems persist.
Yes, you can request account deletion through app settings (Account → Delete Account), our Data Subject Access Request form or by contacting support at [email protected].
What happens: your account is permanently deleted, all your data is removed (after required retention periods), scheduled calls are cancelled and you’d need to create a new account to use Purple Visits again. This is permanent, so make sure you’re certain before proceeding.
No. Purple Visits policy is one account per person. This is for security and verification requirements, to prevent system abuse and ensure proper identity tracking.
If you need to call multiple people in custody, add them all as contacts on your single account. You can have multiple contacts but only one account.
Common reasons are too many failed login attempts, suspicious activity detected or account security concern.
What to do: wait 30 minutes and try again (temporary lockouts), use “Forgot Password” to reset your password and contact support at [email protected] if lockout persists.
Provide support with your registered email address, brief description of the issue and when the lockout started.
Yes, Purple Visits is free to download, create an account and verify your identity. Most establishments give up to 60 free minutes of video calling a month (usually two 30-minute calls or one 60-minute call), subject to availability at your establishment. See Free video calls explained and How much does a prison video call cost?.
What you pay for: calls at La Moye or Isle of Man (where there is no funded allowance) and your own internet connection or mobile data.
No costs from Purple Visits for app download, account setup, identity verification or your MoJ-funded monthly minutes. Families are never charged for calls at prisons in England and Wales.
Potential costs: calls at La Moye or Isle of Man, which are paid per call with no monthly limit (the price is shown in the app), and your internet as you need WiFi or mobile data (WiFi recommended to avoid data charges).
There are no hidden fees. Purple Visits doesn’t charge unexpected or hidden fees.
Book a call as normal through the app and select a time slot; you’ll see the price. Add a payment method (card details), complete payment and receive booking confirmation.
The price is displayed before you confirm payment. You’ll always see it before being charged.
Cancellation policy depends on timing. With 48+ hours notice, you get a full refund. With less than 48 hours notice, there’s no refund and you may lose the call allocation.
To cancel, open your bookings in the app, select the call to cancel, tap “Cancel Call,” and confirm cancellation.
Refund processing typically takes 3-5 business days back to your original payment method. Refunds can not be made to any other payment source.
Check your establishment’s specific policy on their page in our Establishments directory.
Purple Visits video calls and personal data are encrypted in transit and at rest (AES-256). Calls are recorded by the establishment and may be monitored, as prison phone calls are. On top of that, we verify everyone’s identity with photo ID, take a security selfie before each call and use face recognition during the call, so only approved people are on it. Purple Visits is Cyber Essentials Plus certified and complies with UK data protection law.
Learn more in our Security and Privacy guide.
Face recognition technology serves several important purposes for security (ensures only approved people are on calls, detects unauthorised individuals, prevents account sharing), safeguarding (protects vulnerable individuals in custody, monitors who’s present during calls, ensures compliance with rules) and legal compliance (required by establishments, meets security clearance requirements, satisfies safeguarding regulations).
How it works: the system continuously monitors faces on calls to ensure everyone is approved on Purple Visits video calls.
Learn more in our During Your Video Call guide.
Yes, all calls are monitored for security and safeguarding. This is a legal requirement for secure facilities, protects vulnerable individuals, ensures compliance with establishment rules, prevents illegal activity and is standard practice for prison communications.
What this means: calls may be listened to or recorded by establishment staff, inappropriate content can result in call termination and violations may impact future call privileges.
This is standard for all prison communications (phone calls, video calls, letters) and isn’t unique to Purple Visits.
Account data includes name, email, phone number, date of birth, address and photo ID and verification documents.
Usage data includes call logs (date, time, duration), app usage information, device information and technical data for troubleshooting.
Security data includes security selfies, face recognition data during calls and login and authentication logs.
Why we collect this: to verify your identity, provide the service, comply with legal requirements and improve security and functionality.
Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.
Active data is retained while your account is active. After account deletion or inactivity, call recordings are kept 93 days minimum (establishment requirement), identity documents up to 6 years (legal requirement), account details up to 6 years (legal requirement) and usage logs up to 6 years.
Why data is retained: legal and regulatory requirements, security and safeguarding obligations and potential investigations or disputes.
These retention periods comply with UK law and prison security requirements.
Learn more in our Your Data Rights guide.
You have the Right to Access your personal data. Complete our Data Subject Access Request form, verify your identity (may require ID) and submit the request.
What you’ll receive: copy of your personal data, information about how it’s used and who it’s shared with (if anyone).
Response time is within 30 days of receiving your request.
Learn more in our Your Data Rights guide.
Cyber Essentials Plus is a UK government-backed cybersecurity certification. It means Made Purple Ltd (The company that provides Purple Visits) has been independently audited, our security controls meet government standards, we protect against common cyber threats and regular testing and verification is required.
Why it matters: demonstrates commitment to security, required for working with secure facilities, gives you confidence your data is protected and is an industry-recognised standard.
This certification is independently verified and must be renewed regularly with fresh audits.
If you didn’t find your answer here, we’re here to help.
Contact Support by emailing [email protected], submitting a request through the app or visiting our Contact page.
Explore Help Articles including Getting Started, Technical Troubleshooting, During Your Video Call, and Security and Privacy.
Check Your Establishment by viewing all establishments to find specific policies and schedules and see facility-specific information.
Live chat in the app is usually answered within a few minutes during business hours. Emails and contact form messages are answered within one business day.
Remember that Purple Visits is here to help families stay connected. If you’re stuck or confused about anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re committed to making video calls as easy and stress-free as possible.