diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonDecoder.java b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonDecoder.java
index 16cb4abc7..1398d3958 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonDecoder.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonDecoder.java
@@ -73,8 +73,7 @@ class MessageAwareJsonDecoder extends AbstractDecoder<Object> {
 		if (messageMap.containsKey(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD)) {
 			Type requestedType = FunctionTypeUtils.getGenericType(targetType.getType());
 			Object payload;
-			if (String.class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType()))
-					|| byte[].class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType()))) {
+			if (String.class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType()))) {
 				Object rawPayload = messageMap.get(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD);
 				if (rawPayload instanceof byte[]) {
 					payload = new String((byte[]) rawPayload, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
@@ -83,9 +82,31 @@ class MessageAwareJsonDecoder extends AbstractDecoder<Object> {
 					payload = rawPayload;
 				}
 			}
+			else if (byte[].class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType())))  {
+				Object rawPayload = messageMap.get(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD);
+				if (rawPayload instanceof String) {
+					payload = ((String) rawPayload).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+				}
+				else {
+					payload = rawPayload;
+				}
+			}
 			else {
 				payload =  this.jsonMapper.fromJson(messageMap.get(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD), requestedType);
 			}
+//			if (String.class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType()))
+//					|| byte[].class.isAssignableFrom(FunctionTypeUtils.getRawType(targetType.getType()))) {
+//				Object rawPayload = messageMap.get(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD);
+//				if (rawPayload instanceof byte[]) {
+//					payload = new String((byte[]) rawPayload, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+//				}
+//				else {
+//					payload = rawPayload;
+//				}
+//			}
+//			else {
+//				payload =  this.jsonMapper.fromJson(messageMap.get(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD), requestedType);
+//			}
 
 			if (FunctionTypeUtils.isMessage(targetType.getType())) {
 				return MessageBuilder.withPayload(payload).copyHeaders(