diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/PhpClientCodegen.java b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/PhpClientCodegen.java
index 09cc9665b02..965297cd4d3 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/PhpClientCodegen.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/PhpClientCodegen.java
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public PhpClientCodegen() {
         typeMapping.put("array", "array");
         typeMapping.put("list", "array");
         typeMapping.put("object", "object");
-        typeMapping.put("binary", "ByteArray");
+        typeMapping.put("binary", "string");
 
         cliOptions.add(new CliOption(CodegenConstants.MODEL_PACKAGE, CodegenConstants.MODEL_PACKAGE_DESC));
         cliOptions.add(new CliOption(CodegenConstants.API_PACKAGE, CodegenConstants.API_PACKAGE_DESC));
diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ApiClient.mustache b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ApiClient.mustache
index a0a0b8fcf59..891149d8f55 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ApiClient.mustache
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ApiClient.mustache
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ class ApiClient
             throw new ApiException("API call to $url timed out: ".serialize($response_info), 0, null, null);
         } elseif ($response_info['http_code'] >= 200 && $response_info['http_code'] <= 299 ) {
             // return raw body if response is a file
-            if ($responseType == '\SplFileObject' || $responseType == 'ByteArray') {
+            if ($responseType == '\SplFileObject' || $responseType == 'string') {
                 return array($http_body, $response_info['http_code'], $http_header);
             }
 
diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ObjectSerializer.mustache b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ObjectSerializer.mustache
index f961f5cd60c..39241038a6a 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ObjectSerializer.mustache
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/ObjectSerializer.mustache
@@ -241,8 +241,6 @@ class ObjectSerializer
                 $values[] = self::deserialize($value, $subClass);
             }
             $deserialized = $values;
-        } elseif ($class === 'ByteArray') { // byte array
-            $deserialized = unpack('C*', (string)$data);
         } elseif ($class === '\DateTime') {
             $deserialized = new \DateTime($data);
         } elseif (in_array($class, array({{&primitives}}))) {
diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/api.mustache b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/api.mustache
index d21301ee387..1740a380102 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/api.mustache
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/resources/php/api.mustache
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ use \{{invokerPackage}}\ObjectSerializer;
         {{#bodyParams}}// body params
         $_tempBody = null;
         if (isset(${{paramName}})) {
-            {{^isBinary}}$_tempBody = ${{paramName}};{{/isBinary}}{{#isBinary}}$_tempBody = call_user_func_array('pack', array_merge(array('C*'), ${{paramName}}));{{/isBinary}}
+            $_tempBody = ${{paramName}};
         }{{/bodyParams}}
   
         // for model (json/xml)
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/Api/PetApi.php b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/Api/PetApi.php
index c83eec73104..464179d3349 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/Api/PetApi.php
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/Api/PetApi.php
@@ -884,7 +884,7 @@ public function uploadFileWithHttpInfo($pet_id, $additional_metadata = null, $fi
      * Fake endpoint to test byte array return by 'Find pet by ID'
      *
      * @param int $pet_id ID of pet that needs to be fetched (required)
-     * @return ByteArray
+     * @return string
      * @throws \Swagger\Client\ApiException on non-2xx response
      */
     public function petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGet($pet_id)
@@ -900,7 +900,7 @@ public function petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGet($pet_id)
      * Fake endpoint to test byte array return by 'Find pet by ID'
      *
      * @param int $pet_id ID of pet that needs to be fetched (required)
-     * @return Array of ByteArray, HTTP status code, HTTP response headers (array of strings)
+     * @return Array of string, HTTP status code, HTTP response headers (array of strings)
      * @throws \Swagger\Client\ApiException on non-2xx response
      */
     public function petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGetWithHttpInfo($pet_id)
@@ -964,19 +964,19 @@ public function petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGetWithHttpInfo($pet_id)
             list($response, $statusCode, $httpHeader) = $this->apiClient->callApi(
                 $resourcePath, 'GET',
                 $queryParams, $httpBody,
-                $headerParams, 'ByteArray'
+                $headerParams, 'string'
             );
             
             if (!$response) {
                 return array(null, $statusCode, $httpHeader);
             }
 
-            return array(\Swagger\Client\ObjectSerializer::deserialize($response, 'ByteArray', $httpHeader), $statusCode, $httpHeader);
+            return array(\Swagger\Client\ObjectSerializer::deserialize($response, 'string', $httpHeader), $statusCode, $httpHeader);
             
         } catch (ApiException $e) {
             switch ($e->getCode()) { 
             case 200:
-                $data = \Swagger\Client\ObjectSerializer::deserialize($e->getResponseBody(), 'ByteArray', $e->getResponseHeaders());
+                $data = \Swagger\Client\ObjectSerializer::deserialize($e->getResponseBody(), 'string', $e->getResponseHeaders());
                 $e->setResponseObject($data);
                 break;
             }
@@ -990,7 +990,7 @@ public function petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGetWithHttpInfo($pet_id)
      *
      * Fake endpoint to test byte array in body parameter for adding a new pet to the store
      *
-     * @param ByteArray $body Pet object in the form of byte array (optional)
+     * @param string $body Pet object in the form of byte array (optional)
      * @return void
      * @throws \Swagger\Client\ApiException on non-2xx response
      */
@@ -1006,7 +1006,7 @@ public function addPetUsingByteArray($body = null)
      *
      * Fake endpoint to test byte array in body parameter for adding a new pet to the store
      *
-     * @param ByteArray $body Pet object in the form of byte array (optional)
+     * @param string $body Pet object in the form of byte array (optional)
      * @return Array of null, HTTP status code, HTTP response headers (array of strings)
      * @throws \Swagger\Client\ApiException on non-2xx response
      */
@@ -1036,7 +1036,7 @@ public function addPetUsingByteArrayWithHttpInfo($body = null)
         // body params
         $_tempBody = null;
         if (isset($body)) {
-            $_tempBody = call_user_func_array('pack', array_merge(array('C*'), $body));
+            $_tempBody = $body;
         }
   
         // for model (json/xml)
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ApiClient.php b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ApiClient.php
index 8313dc52004..df38b989f88 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ApiClient.php
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ApiClient.php
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ public function callApi($resourcePath, $method, $queryParams, $postData, $header
             throw new ApiException("API call to $url timed out: ".serialize($response_info), 0, null, null);
         } elseif ($response_info['http_code'] >= 200 && $response_info['http_code'] <= 299 ) {
             // return raw body if response is a file
-            if ($responseType == '\SplFileObject' || $responseType == 'ByteArray') {
+            if ($responseType == '\SplFileObject' || $responseType == 'string') {
                 return array($http_body, $response_info['http_code'], $http_header);
             }
 
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ObjectSerializer.php b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ObjectSerializer.php
index 7b3509b5856..8b95811e990 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ObjectSerializer.php
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/lib/ObjectSerializer.php
@@ -241,8 +241,6 @@ public static function deserialize($data, $class, $httpHeaders=null)
                 $values[] = self::deserialize($value, $subClass);
             }
             $deserialized = $values;
-        } elseif ($class === 'ByteArray') { // byte array
-            $deserialized = unpack('C*', (string)$data);
         } elseif ($class === '\DateTime') {
             $deserialized = new \DateTime($data);
         } elseif (in_array($class, array('integer', 'int', 'void', 'number', 'object', 'double', 'float', 'byte', 'DateTime', 'string', 'mixed', 'boolean', 'bool'))) {
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/tests/PetApiTest.php b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/tests/PetApiTest.php
index 44d90936368..96ceaf98015 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/tests/PetApiTest.php
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/php/SwaggerClient-php/tests/PetApiTest.php
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ public function testAddPetUsingByteArray()
         // add a new pet (model)
         $object_serializer = new Swagger\Client\ObjectSerializer();
         $pet_json_string = json_encode($object_serializer->sanitizeForSerialization($new_pet));
-        $add_response = $pet_api->addPetUsingByteArray(unpack('C*', $pet_json_string));
+        $add_response = $pet_api->addPetUsingByteArray($pet_json_string);
         // return nothing (void)
         $this->assertSame($add_response, NULL);
         // verify added Pet
@@ -330,9 +330,9 @@ public function testGetPetByIdWithByteArray()
         // test getPetByIdWithByteArray 
         $pet_id = 10005;
         $bytes = $pet_api->petPetIdtestingByteArraytrueGet($pet_id);
-        $json = json_decode(call_user_func_array('pack', array_merge(array('C*'), $bytes )), true);
+        $json = json_decode($bytes, true);
 
-        $this->assertInternalType("array", $bytes);
+        $this->assertInternalType("string", $bytes);
 
         $this->assertSame($json['id'], $pet_id);
         // not testing name as it's tested by addPetUsingByteArray