diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 93d8ef1ac..65f8df2b5 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ actix-tls = { version = "1.0.0-alpha.3" }
 
 actix-web-codegen = "0.2.0-alpha.2"
 actix-http = "1.0.0-alpha.4"
-awc = { version = "1.0.0-alpha.3", default-features = false, optional = true }
+awc = { version = "1.0.0-alpha.4", default-features = false, optional = true }
 
 bytes = "0.5.2"
 derive_more = "0.99.2"
diff --git a/actix-http/CHANGES.md b/actix-http/CHANGES.md
index 4349417ca..b15a0c657 100644
--- a/actix-http/CHANGES.md
+++ b/actix-http/CHANGES.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Changes
 
+
+### Changed
+
+* Websockets: Ping and Pong should have binary data #1049
+
 ## [1.0.0-alpha.4] - 2019-12-08
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/actix-http/src/ws/codec.rs b/actix-http/src/ws/codec.rs
index 9891bfa6e..fee8a632b 100644
--- a/actix-http/src/ws/codec.rs
+++ b/actix-http/src/ws/codec.rs
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ pub enum Message {
     /// Binary message
     Binary(Bytes),
     /// Ping message
-    Ping(String),
+    Ping(Bytes),
     /// Pong message
-    Pong(String),
+    Pong(Bytes),
     /// Close message with optional reason
     Close(Option<CloseReason>),
     /// No-op. Useful for actix-net services
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ pub enum Frame {
     /// Binary frame
     Binary(Option<BytesMut>),
     /// Ping message
-    Ping(String),
+    Ping(Bytes),
     /// Pong message
-    Pong(String),
+    Pong(Bytes),
     /// Close message with optional reason
     Close(Option<CloseReason>),
 }
@@ -119,17 +119,17 @@ impl Decoder for Codec {
                         }
                     }
                     OpCode::Ping => {
-                        if let Some(ref pl) = payload {
-                            Ok(Some(Frame::Ping(String::from_utf8_lossy(pl).into())))
+                        if let Some(pl) = payload {
+                            Ok(Some(Frame::Ping(pl.freeze())))
                         } else {
-                            Ok(Some(Frame::Ping(String::new())))
+                            Ok(Some(Frame::Ping(Bytes::new())))
                         }
                     }
                     OpCode::Pong => {
-                        if let Some(ref pl) = payload {
-                            Ok(Some(Frame::Pong(String::from_utf8_lossy(pl).into())))
+                        if let Some(pl) = payload {
+                            Ok(Some(Frame::Pong(pl.freeze())))
                         } else {
-                            Ok(Some(Frame::Pong(String::new())))
+                            Ok(Some(Frame::Pong(Bytes::new())))
                         }
                     }
                     OpCode::Binary => Ok(Some(Frame::Binary(payload))),