diff --git a/src/message.js b/src/message.js
index 8b3e1ff9..c9627ebe 100644
--- a/src/message.js
+++ b/src/message.js
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ function readArmored(armoredText) {
 
 /**
  * reads an OpenPGP binary string message and returns a message object
- * @param {String} binary string message
+ * @param {Uint8Array} binary message
  * @return {module:message~Message} new message object
  * @static
  */
diff --git a/src/worker/async_proxy.js b/src/worker/async_proxy.js
index 88a06270..bf7b7103 100644
--- a/src/worker/async_proxy.js
+++ b/src/worker/async_proxy.js
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ AsyncProxy.prototype.decryptMessage = function(privateKey, message, params) {
   var self = this;
 
   return self.execute(function() {
-    if(!(String.prototype.isPrototypeOf(privateKey) || typeof privateKey === 'string')) {
+    if(!(String.prototype.isPrototypeOf(privateKey) || typeof privateKey === 'string' || Uint8Array.prototype.isPrototypeOf(privateKey))) {
       privateKey = privateKey.toPacketlist();
     }
 
diff --git a/src/worker/worker.js b/src/worker/worker.js
index 08dc4455..525cf43f 100644
--- a/src/worker/worker.js
+++ b/src/worker/worker.js
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ self.onmessage = function (event) {
       });
       break;
     case 'decrypt-message':
-      if(!(String.prototype.isPrototypeOf(msg.privateKey) || typeof msg.privateKey === 'string')) {
+      if(!(String.prototype.isPrototypeOf(msg.privateKey) || typeof msg.privateKey === 'string' || Uint8Array.prototype.isPrototypeOf(msg.privateKey))) {
         msg.privateKey = packetlistCloneToKey(msg.privateKey);
       }
       msg.message = packetlistCloneToMessage(msg.message.packets);