diff --git a/app/scripts/lib/personal-message-manager.js b/app/scripts/lib/personal-message-manager.js
index 3b8510767..04dba4a90 100644
--- a/app/scripts/lib/personal-message-manager.js
+++ b/app/scripts/lib/personal-message-manager.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ const EventEmitter = require('events')
 const ObservableStore = require('obs-store')
 const ethUtil = require('ethereumjs-util')
 const createId = require('./random-id')
+const hexRe = /^[0-9A-Fa-f]+$/g
 
 
 module.exports = class PersonalMessageManager extends EventEmitter{
@@ -24,7 +25,8 @@ module.exports = class PersonalMessageManager extends EventEmitter{
   }
 
   addUnapprovedMessage (msgParams) {
-    msgParams.data = normalizeMsgData(msgParams.data)
+    log.debug(`PersonalMessageManager addUnapprovedMessage: ${JSON.stringify(msgParams)}`)
+    msgParams.data = this.normalizeMsgData(msgParams.data)
     // create txData obj with parameters and meta data
     var time = (new Date()).getTime()
     var msgId = createId()
@@ -106,14 +108,18 @@ module.exports = class PersonalMessageManager extends EventEmitter{
     this.emit('updateBadge')
   }
 
-}
+  normalizeMsgData(data) {
+    try {
+      const stripped = ethUtil.stripHexPrefix(data)
+      if (stripped.match(hexRe)) {
+        return stripped
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      log.debug(`Message was not hex encoded, interpreting as utf8.`)
+    }
 
-function normalizeMsgData(data) {
-  if (data.slice(0, 2) === '0x') {
-    // data is already hex
-    return data
-  } else {
-    // data is unicode, convert to hex
     return ethUtil.bufferToHex(new Buffer(data, 'utf8'))
   }
+
 }
+
diff --git a/test/unit/components/binary-renderer-test.js b/test/unit/components/binary-renderer-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3264faddc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/components/binary-renderer-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+var assert = require('assert')
+var BinaryRenderer = require('../../../ui/app/components/binary-renderer')
+
+describe('BinaryRenderer', function() {
+
+  let binaryRenderer
+  const message = 'Hello, world!'
+  const buffer = new Buffer(message, 'utf8')
+  const hex = buffer.toString('hex')
+
+  beforeEach(function() {
+    binaryRenderer = new BinaryRenderer()
+  })
+
+  it('recovers message', function() {
+    const result = binaryRenderer.hexToText(hex)
+    assert.equal(result, message)
+  })
+
+
+  it('recovers message with hex prefix', function() {
+    const result = binaryRenderer.hexToText('0x' + hex)
+    assert.equal(result, message)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/unit/personal-message-manager-test.js b/test/unit/personal-message-manager-test.js
index 657d5e675..69d373ed3 100644
--- a/test/unit/personal-message-manager-test.js
+++ b/test/unit/personal-message-manager-test.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const EventEmitter = require('events')
 
 const PersonalMessageManager = require('../../app/scripts/lib/personal-message-manager')
 
-describe('Transaction Manager', function() {
+describe('Personal Message Manager', function() {
   let messageManager
 
   beforeEach(function() {
@@ -86,4 +86,25 @@ describe('Transaction Manager', function() {
       assert.equal(messageManager.getMsg('2').status, 'approved')
     })
   })
+
+  describe('#normalizeMsgData', function() {
+    it('converts text to a utf8 buffer', function() {
+      var input = 'hello'
+      var output = messageManager.normalizeMsgdata(input)
+      assert.equal(output, '68656c6c6f', 'predictably hex encoded')
+    })
+
+    it('tolerates a hex prefix', function() {
+      var input = '0x12'
+      var output = messageManager.normalizeMsgdata(input)
+      assert.equal(output, '12', 'prefix stripped')
+    })
+
+    it('tolerates normal hex', function() {
+      var input = '12'
+      var output = messageManager.normalizeMsgdata(input)
+      assert.equal(output, '12', 'not modified')
+    })
+  })
+
 })
diff --git a/ui/app/components/binary-renderer.js b/ui/app/components/binary-renderer.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a9d49b128
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/app/components/binary-renderer.js
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+const Component = require('react').Component
+const h = require('react-hyperscript')
+const inherits = require('util').inherits
+const ethUtil = require('ethereumjs-util')
+
+module.exports = BinaryRenderer
+
+inherits(BinaryRenderer, Component)
+function BinaryRenderer () {
+  Component.call(this)
+}
+
+BinaryRenderer.prototype.render = function () {
+  const props = this.props
+  const { value } = props
+  const text = this.hexToText(value)
+
+  return (
+    h('textarea.font-small', {
+      readOnly: true,
+      style: {
+        width: '315px',
+        maxHeight: '210px',
+        resize: 'none',
+        border: 'none',
+        background: 'white',
+        padding: '3px',
+      },
+      defaultValue: text,
+    })
+  )
+}
+
+BinaryRenderer.prototype.hexToText = function (hex) {
+  try {
+    const stripped = ethUtil.stripHexPrefix(hex)
+    const buff = Buffer.from(stripped, 'hex')
+    return buff.toString('utf8')
+  } catch (e) {
+    return hex
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/ui/app/components/pending-personal-msg-details.js b/ui/app/components/pending-personal-msg-details.js
index ffd11ca0b..afd04fc51 100644
--- a/ui/app/components/pending-personal-msg-details.js
+++ b/ui/app/components/pending-personal-msg-details.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ const h = require('react-hyperscript')
 const inherits = require('util').inherits
 
 const AccountPanel = require('./account-panel')
+const BinaryRenderer = require('./binary-renderer')
 
 module.exports = PendingMsgDetails
 
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ PendingMsgDetails.prototype.render = function () {
   var account = state.accounts[address] || { address: address }
 
   var { data } = msgParams
+  console.dir({ msgParams })
 
   return (
     h('div', {
@@ -41,18 +43,7 @@ PendingMsgDetails.prototype.render = function () {
       // message data
       h('div', [
         h('label.font-small', { style: { display: 'block' } }, 'MESSAGE'),
-        h('textarea.font-small', {
-          readOnly: true,
-          style: {
-            width: '315px',
-            maxHeight: '210px',
-            resize: 'none',
-            border: 'none',
-            background: 'white',
-            padding: '3px',
-          },
-          defaultValue: data,
-        }),
+        h(BinaryRenderer, { value: data }),
       ]),
 
     ])