ZTE MF833T – SMS UI Stuck “Waiting…” (Solution)

A simple fix for ZTE MF833T USB modem users experiencing SMS web interface freeze ("Waiting...") when inbox is full. Directly delete SMS using the browser console to restore normal operation.

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Problem

On Grameenphone/Robi-branded ZTE MF833T LTE USB modems, the SMS web interface gets stuck on “Waiting…” at around 100/100 device messages.

• The web UI fails to load.
• "Delete" doesn’t work (UI/JavaScript hangs parsing SMS entries).

Cause

• The device backend stores hundreds of OTP or spam messages, but the UI only lists 100 and then freezes.
• JSON from the modem may contain invalid control characters, breaking parsing and making deletion impossible via the normal web UI.

Solution: Delete SMS via Browser Console

Steps

1. Login to your modem (usually http://192.168.0.1/)

2. Go to the SMS page

3. Press F12 to open Developer Tools

4. Click the Console tab

5. Paste this code block and press Enter:

   (async () => {
     const res = await fetch('/goform/goform_get_cmd_process?isTest=false&cmd=sms_data_total&page=0&data_per_page=9999&mem_store=1&tags=10&order_by=order+by+id+desc');
     const txt = await res.text();
     const ids = [...txt.matchAll(/"id"\s*:\s*"?(\d+)"?/g)].map(m => m[1]);
     console.log('Total IDs:', ids.length);
   
     const chunk = (arr, size) => {
       let out = [];
       for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i += size) out.push(arr.slice(i, i + size));
       return out;
     };
   
     const chunks = chunk(ids, 20);
   
     for (let i = 0; i < chunks.length; i++) {
       const idList = chunks[i].join(';') + ';';
       console.log(`Deleting chunk ${i+1}/${chunks.length}`, idList);
   
       const del = await fetch('/goform/goform_set_cmd_process', {
         method: 'POST',
         headers: {
           'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'
         },
         body: 'isTest=false&goformId=DELETE_SMS&msg_id=' + encodeURIComponent(idList) + '&notCallback=true'
       });
   
       const t = await del.text();
       console.log('Result:', t);
   
       await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 300));
     }
   
     console.log('Device delete done. Reload page.');
   })();

6. After it finishes, refresh the SMS page.
   The “Waiting…” message should disappear and SMS count drop.

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Optional: Also Clear SIM Storage

Replace mem_store=1 with mem_store=2 in the fetch URL to clear SIM card SMS storage.
Run the same script again:

const res = await fetch('/goform/goform_get_cmd_process?isTest=false&cmd=sms_data_total&page=0&data_per_page=9999&mem_store=2&tags=10&order_by=order+by+id+desc');
// Continue as before...

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Notes

• Works on ZTE MF833T, MF833U, and similar ZTE hostless LTE modems
• Tested on Grameenphone and Robi branded variants
• Uses your existing login/session (no password required in script)
• If SMS count keeps climbing, enable auto-delete or periodically run the cleanup

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Why This Works

• The modem’s API exposes DELETE_SMS even if the UI is frozen
• Batching 20 message IDs at a time avoids connection resets from large requests

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Tip: You can add screenshots of the “Waiting…” UI and browser console in use for clarity.

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Feel free to copy/paste, adapt, and share!