Tomorrow I am hoping the visit I have scheduled will finally be successful. This will be my 3rd attempt to visit with my Son!!! 1st visit no connection at all no matter how many attempts, 2nd visit over 20 attempts with audio & visual actually connecting but once connected I kept getting messages that the call was disconnected by far end. I have done my research on this company/platform and found issues dating back to 2012 so PA DOC’s choice to go to this provider is puzzling. There has to be a better option that will allow family members to actually have 45 minute virtual visits with there loved ones. There are a lot of tech wizards that I am sure could help improve this service. PA DOC has access to tech genius’s statewide. How about recruiting experts from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, SOMEONE to help you upgrade/troubleshoot this system. Polycom please listen/read the feedback and improve or just bow out if you can fulfill your contract.
The video visit freezes, lags, drops off, poor connection, delayed voice to video, crappy camera view options; and all you end up doing is spend more time try to connect/reconnect and fix the problem that can’t be fixed by either visitor. Cheap setup to try and save money when there wasn’t anything wrong with the zoom visits they switched from. There are better apps that offer video visitations. And it’s not compatible with all web browsers or devices. All in all I would give this a negative rating if I could. You end up with maybe a 20 minute visit of complaining out of a 45 minute visit if you’re lucky and even more if the facility doesn’t cancel scheduled visits at the last possible minute with no reschedule option due to exceeding visit limits reached. Very Single Visit it’s either cancelled or poor video service.
This is the only way for me to “visit” with a loved one who is incarcerated. There is no way to see if I’m on the camera so I have to keep asking if he can see me. The sound quality is horrific. It freezes up throughout the call. It will drop at least once and I’ll have to rejoin. There are issues getting the call started and I’ve lost the first 10 minutes every single time. I use a variety of apps for video calls every day at work and have never experienced issues. It feels like the DOC purposely picked the most useless piece of garbage app they could to let us all know exactly where we stand in their eyes. This app is full of 1 star reviews for a reason!
App was working great and next thing you know it keep kicking me out once it launch for my visit. It’s been a month that I haven’t been able to visit with my husband and no one can tell me why it all of a sudden stop working. If this is a App that you made how do you not know how to fix the problem they have no live person you can talk to so they can trouble shoot the App. and the prison have no idea what to do because no one came out to teach them. The prison system need to get a new App so we can video visit our loved ones without the fear of not knowing if the App is going to work one week to the next. This is the worst App ever it’s doing more harm then good it’s depressing.
I agree with the last reviewer. This application is terrible. I’ve contacted the IT staff at the PaDOC and they have exhausted whatever options they w had to troubleshoot and fix this the connection and voice issues experienced by the majority of people ‘attempting’ to use this application. I’ve been able to connect using my laptop however there’s no voice from my end (yes, I’ve checked all my settings and did a test call using Skype and zoom and voice works fine) but trying to connect via the mobile app has not been possible. Come on Polycom, DO SOMETHING! Maybe hire better developers or network folks?
I have been using this app for a while. It freezes every time. It’s choppy and pixelated and can’t see my loved one well. You guys we really need to start a petition to get the PADOC to do better for these virtual visits. I know they don’t care but they need to be put on blast. They had zoom before and that worked perfectly. I guess that was going too well. Whoever is developing this app, shame on you. I couldn’t see my loved one at all today on our visit. It just showed me the whole time and he had a blank screen on his. Seeing family is a very important part of someone rehabilitation. If PADOC really cared they would make sure that happened but they just care about the numbers. Sad
This app is terrible! The developers of this app knows that loved ones & prisoners are dependent on it. How dare you not fix this app!? It is inhuman & degrading. I’ve never felt so disrespected and hurt by an app in my entire life. I wasn’t even able to speak to my loved one today because the bugs this app has. Where is your compassion for connecting others? Or do you simply care about the money you make? I honestly hate this app. I wish there were other options yet apparently there isn’t. While you’re able to speak to your loved ones in peace, people like me have to be frustrated and hurt because you failed to connect us to our loved ones. This is beyond selfish.
This is the 5th visit that has worked for about 5 mins and then the audio goes out. It does not work on my phone, or either of my two computers. My boyfriend can see and hear me, but I cannot hear him. This is increasingly frustrating and there is no way to directly contact polycom to address this issue. The new version w bug fixes does not address this and with so many complaints about the same issues it is a disgrace that nothing has been done by the company, developers or DOC. How is this helping keep people in touch w their loved ones? This growing frustration is NOT BEING ADDRESSED!!!!
Why why why Polycom this is so frustrating and super disappointing we are in pandemic and why doesn’t this work when it time to do visits with your loved ones! I have set a dozen visits but guess what I have only had one visit and it too was interrupted and cut off before the 45 min. It’s so devastating especially to those who look forward to this and to get to the day and over and over again it doesn’t work fix this please! Grace everyone wants it but doesn’t know how to extend it when the shoes on the other foot! So devastating! Please please fix this for all the families that are having issues and challenges!
This is hand down the most frustrating app I’ve ever used. It work less than 25% of the time over my cell phone data and 0% of the time over WiFi. I have an iPhone Pro Max and I live in a reasonably populated area with no other WiFi problems so it is definitely the app. Most of the time I can’t connect to other end. When I can, the audio cuts in and out. It has to be restarted each time I open it or it doesn’t work. About half the time, I have to restart my phone if I have any hope of it working. I can’t say enough about how much I hate this app. I wish I could give it negative stars.
No doubt a freemason run business that scratches the backs of other mason run assets; namely the pa doc. Note the six six six in the polycom icon. What a poorly run company with no customer service to boot. So the result is heart wrenching failed visits. My advice to those who are struggling with this app: you must use the ever increasingly evil google chrome browser with an up to date windows 10 or apple iPhone or iPod or iPad. Always use the link sent to your email. Be sure to set google chrome as your default browser before you click on the link.
Using this is a complete nightmare! It is the only option I have to do a virtual visit with my son who is incarcerated. Trying to connect it gives an error half the time and just shuts down. Other times it freezes and you can’t see anything. It randomly shuts down during a call etc. I could go on but I see another review addressed the exact same issues I have. PA DOC either needs to find another platform to use or you all need to get your IT to fix these issues. It happens every time I use it. PLEASE FIX THIS!!!!!
I’ve attempted to use this service for a full month now and each time, I’m left in tears. Every time the call starts, the app kicks you completely out!! I tried accessing my call doe the full 45 minutes of my visit. What is the point? Its 2021 and there are various ways to virtually connect with loved ones, why PADOC chose the worst way is beyond me. This is pathetic and beyond frustrating. I have another visit scheduled in 3 days and I’m afraid to even get excited because who knows if this app will choose to work. Shameful !!!
I will be attempting to use this app for a scheduled visit this morning once again. I have tried 5 times previously with no success. I consistently get an error that say “far end has hung up” however I’ve been on the phone with him simultaneously and he’s not even near the screen to be able to hang up. This is absolutely ridiculous. Children are already dealing with a lot behind this situation and then to get their hopes up for a video visit and be crushed because it doesn’t work is devastating to everyone.
The facility my sibling is at recently switched from zoom to this. There is no front camera view so you can’t even tell if you’re in the frame, the video is extremely pixelated, the connection is poor as the audio and video randomly stopped working multiple times throughout the call. It seems that the facility switched to this program in order to save money because you can tell how cheap it is. Certainly not want you would expect from a video conferencing platform in 2020. Awful
I was moved to submit a comment after two failed video visits within the last two weeks.. tomorrow I’m having another so hopefully it works since everyone else seems to be getting their visits.. I even called customer service and the woman on the phone stated that because I wasn’t the person lying them and with a contract that she couldn’t help me… lol seriously?? Thanks for nothing.. anyways the PA DOC will not do anything either so that leaves me with no options.
Why would they ever switch from zoom to this for video visits? The video cut off in the middle of the conference. The video quality is blurry and it kept pausing really bad. The sound quality is bad and there’s not front camera option for you to see where you are on video while talking to the other person. This is horrific whom ever developed this app need to be ashamed. Then it’s not even compatible to other peoples phones for people I know to download. It’s definitely very cheap & no point of using it at all
We are literally over a barrel. We don’t have a choice but use it. It fails to connect, it doesn’t even allow you to fully remove to reinstall. Bug city. I even tried to use it on a laptop and the audio cut out during it forcing us to open word and type so my connection can see it. Did we get extended visit for the inconvenience? NOPE 45mins to the second cut off! If we didn’t NEED to use it NOONE would have it on their phone. Wish I could rank BELOW 1 star
I had a visit with my dad today and due to this app my visit didn’t happen. This is a time that we really want to see our loved ones and it seems as if the system is taking that away with this app. I have been trying to connect for 30 minutes and the app keeps on hanging up without even connecting. I don’t know who needs to fix this but this needs to get fixed fast. I will be sending a complaint to the governor of Pa as well as City hall. This is horrible.
This app is horrible! It continued to disfunction while trying to connect with the opposite party. If the video happened to work the audio wouldn’t. And same in vice versus, audio without video. I had to hang up the call plenty of times until finally I get to hear and see, while wishing on a star! I checked the setting to see if both were enabled and yes they were! This app needs work. It always was glitchy at times! Frustrating to say the least!
This app needs a better service I try to have a Video visit with my husband and after so many attempts it kept saying far end not found DOC please find a better app so we the family can communicate with our love ones who are incarcerated, it’s already enough we can’t physically visit them and they only get 1 hour and 1/2 a day out the cell to call take showers and charge up their tablets, this is ridiculous please fix this problem.
Recently tried to go on virtual visit with my brother and the app would not connect at all then the app keeps giving me crash logs with no one to send them to how am I supposed to report a problem if there’s no website when you click on developer website link in apple store wasted a whole visit trying to connect I wouldn’t recommend this app to anyone
***only gave the app 1 Star because it forces you to. This app gets a ZERO No stars. They really need to do additional developing on this program. I was not able to even get a connection. In regards to the Correctional Industry, people rely on this to stay in touch with loved ones. I wasn’t a fan of ZOOM but I would give it a 10 in comparison to this. The whole safari issue, then choosing guest and not having a meeting ID not populating... just a mess
Just goes to show, prisons don’t care about inmates
This is the ABSOLUTE worst video visitation app in the history of history! Pennsylvania DOC switched to this nonsense from Zoom(because apparently Zoom is breach-able). But they must’ve found a 15 yo Indian kid who just started coding to make this $*#£! It does not work with IPhones. The screens never connect. The sound is awful. The image quality looks like a dubbed VHS from 95.’ The DOC needs to get something else. This is TRASH.
1. The app must be open to notify the user when someone is calling 2. The app doesn’t ring and only does a brief notification ding or banner 3. If the app is open and you’re staring at it, then it will ring, but very softly even with the volume all the way up on your phone 4. Those with ATT as a provider must be on WiFi for it to work 5. Glitchy or unable to work in secured networks
This app is awful and utterly useless. I have no idea why PA DOC decided to pick this out of all of the other, better, video chatting apps out there. I tried to connect with my loved one on 3 different devices and all 3 of them failed. As soon as the call was made the app would just crash and close out completely. Leaving my loved one sitting there without his visit.
I have been trying to speak to my love one but this app is not allowing me to. No matter what phone company you have the app should work. They need to choice a better app company because this one is no good… I had to miss many of my video visit because of this app. Please find a solution or better app…
This is an excellent little application, seems to work well for joining SIP/H.323 meetings and can even register as a SIP softphone! That being said, it’s going to be best used on properly configured WiFi, cellular might not work depending on your carrier and connection strength.
I tried to connect over 20 times from my phone using this app and I did not work. It only worked after I downloaded it on my laptop, even when I called the jail they said people usually have problems when people try to use cell phones. On my laptop I had no problems!
This app does not work on my iPad. It said that I needed to download a launch app, I did that and it still does not work on iPad and my iPad is up to date. But it works on my iPhone, can someone hep me get this app to work on my iPad?
This app is horrible 👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾! The videos keep cutting off while your in the middle of talking to a loved one. This needs to be fixed immediately😡! The video is super blurry and you can’t even see yourself while your on a call. If I could have given it zero stars that’s exactly what it would have gotten, this app is trash!
Honestly, the correctional facilities should have stuck with zoom for visits. This app is horrible the quality of sound and video is terrible. And there is no front camera view so I have to make sure I stay in view on each visit by confirming my loved one can see me on each call. Please fix these issues!
Every visit, I enter the visit and when I am the first person there, I can see myself on the camera, when the other party joins, i can no longer see myself. I don’t have the option to flip my camera when I need to, to be able to show what is in front of me. It’s very frustrating.
Today is the third video visit I’ve tried to have with my son on this app. It is now the third time it hasn’t work. My son is in a PA DAoC facility & I’m in Missouri. This is the only way I can have any kind of visit with him. This app is terrible, never would I recommend it. It doesn’t deserve any stars.
When you activate the keyboard to type the phone you can’t hide it back so you can’t see the ok buttons. In the history of calls, I have one meeting room address that I attended a meeting. If I want to re join that one listed in the history , now it says that the address/phone in invalid The stupid address book worths nothing. I add contacts and meeting room addresses there, but there’s no visible option how to call a contact that is in your address book. I can’t call, can’t even copy values. Terrible app
I have an iPhone 11 Pro with iOS 13.3. I cannot access the directory in my app. When I click on the icon, the app crashes - every single time. I’ve resorted to writing down the numbers on a post-it note or trying to guess from the call history screen. Help!
I hate the fact that you cannot see yourself while video chatting. Also, the videos aren’t that much clear so the person you’re chatting with usually is a blur no matter how good the connection is.
I had a video call yesterday with my brother and ever time I try to get on it keep cutting off it won’t even like me get on it just cuts off and I go back to try again and it’s the same cut me rite back off please fix
I can’t believe this, i try to sign in and it keeps saying “unable to connect to server” I really don’t understand how. They need to switch to a different app seriously I can’t believe how unprofessional this is
This App is horrible. I tried 15 times to log on for a scheduled meeting. Each time I was asked to enter a server name. How the hell would I know the server? It was extremely frustrating. Needless to say I missed the whole meeting due to this app. I prefer ZOOM so much better.
I can never get my video visits as it always says cancelled on far end not sure what that means but is frustrating not being able to video calling after finallllllly being able to even schedule a visit.
This app quit working there’s no way to uninstall or reinstall it worked good the first four times I used it now it won’t connect it keeps shutting off please fix it
My brother in an inmate and this is the new system they have created to reach out to our loved ones and it doesn’t work at all!!! I’ve been trying for 2 weeks and nothing!!! So upset and very frustrating!!!
On IOS 11.2.5 this app is missing the self cam view. This is completely awful as you have no ideia what the cam orientation is nor if you are centralized. That alone makes this unusable over the phone.
Horrible!!! Every time it connects, disconnects immediately. I have been trying to log on for 20 minutes for a visit w my husband and I can’t even get it. TERRIBLE.
I finally got to see and talk to my son after 7 months then everything got crazy 5 minutes in...blurry, he couldn’t Hear me. This is a very poor way for me to see my son!!!!
I had a visit with an inmate in pa that I have not seen in 18 years and all I kept getting was far end hung up !! Unacceptable when they are locked down due to covid expecting their video visits. Shameful this is
IMPORTANT NOTE: For optimal use, Polycom recommends provisioning and management through Polycom RealPresence platform. Polycom RealPresence Mobile is for business professionals who want to extend their enterprise video collaboration capabilities beyond the office and conference room to their mobile devices. RealPresence Mobile is an easy-to-use video app that provides premium quality audio, video and content sharing. Cloud-based deployment gives users access to enterprise directories at the swipe-of-a finger. Users simply highlight a name, connect, and then collaborate. Features and Benefits: • Share the industry’s highest-quality audio, video and content through standards-based protocols using the latest in compression technologies • Protect your network and maintain high-scale call volume through tight integration with RealPresence Access Director • Leverage an intuitive, consistent user interface across your mobile, desktop and room-based systems for increased productivity without complex user training You must not be in violation of your wireless data service agreement, if any, when using Polycom RealPresence Mobile. Because some mobile network operators may prohibit or restrict the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functionality over their networks, such as the use of VoIP telephony over a cellular network, and may also impose additional fees, or other charges in connection with VoIP, POLYCOM recommends that you check the terms of your agreement with the operator prior to any use of the RealPresence Mobile.
