diff --git a/mobile/api.go b/mobile/api.go
index 0e67c37d..d570099b 100644
--- a/mobile/api.go
+++ b/mobile/api.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/node"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/pb"
+	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/utils"
 )
 
 var wakuNode *node.WakuNode
@@ -351,7 +352,7 @@ func DecodeSymmetric(messageJSON string, symmetricKey string) string {
 		Kind: node.Symmetric,
 	}
 
-	keyInfo.SymKey, err = hexutil.Decode(symmetricKey)
+	keyInfo.SymKey, err = utils.DecodeHexString(symmetricKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return makeJSONResponse(err)
 	}
@@ -393,7 +394,7 @@ func DecodeAsymmetric(messageJSON string, privateKey string) string {
 		Kind: node.Asymmetric,
 	}
 
-	keyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(privateKey)
+	keyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(privateKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return makeJSONResponse(err)
 	}
diff --git a/mobile/encoding.go b/mobile/encoding.go
index e9e8b03d..1cc75aac 100644
--- a/mobile/encoding.go
+++ b/mobile/encoding.go
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ package gowaku
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/node"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/pb"
+	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/utils"
 )
 
 func wakuMessage(messageJSON string) (pb.WakuMessage, error) {
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func wakuMessageSymmetricEncoding(messageJSON string, publicKey string, optional
 		},
 	}
 
-	keyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(publicKey)
+	keyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(publicKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return msg, err
 	}
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func wakuMessageSymmetricEncoding(messageJSON string, publicKey string, optional
 	}
 
 	if optionalSigningKey != "" {
-		signingKeyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(optionalSigningKey)
+		signingKeyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(optionalSigningKey)
 		if err != nil {
 			return msg, err
 		}
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func wakuMessageAsymmetricEncoding(messageJSON string, publicKey string, optiona
 		},
 	}
 
-	keyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(publicKey)
+	keyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(publicKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return msg, err
 	}
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ func wakuMessageAsymmetricEncoding(messageJSON string, publicKey string, optiona
 	}
 
 	if optionalSigningKey != "" {
-		signingKeyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(optionalSigningKey)
+		signingKeyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(optionalSigningKey)
 		if err != nil {
 			return msg, err
 		}
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/rln/waku_rln_relay.go b/waku/v2/protocol/rln/waku_rln_relay.go
index 18dfed85..0945c3ee 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/rln/waku_rln_relay.go
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/rln/waku_rln_relay.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"crypto/ecdsa"
-	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"math"
 	"time"
@@ -18,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	r "github.com/status-im/go-rln/rln"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/pb"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/relay"
+	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/utils"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
@@ -365,11 +365,11 @@ func toMembershipKeyPairs(groupKeys [][]string) ([]r.MembershipKeyPair, error) {
 
 	groupKeyPairs := []r.MembershipKeyPair{}
 	for _, pair := range groupKeys {
-		idKey, err := hex.DecodeString(pair[0])
+		idKey, err := utils.DecodeHexString(pair[0])
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		idCommitment, err := hex.DecodeString(pair[1])
+		idCommitment, err := utils.DecodeHexString(pair[1])
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/waku/v2/rpc/private.go b/waku/v2/rpc/private.go
index b4e244e4..33b689d2 100644
--- a/waku/v2/rpc/private.go
+++ b/waku/v2/rpc/private.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/pb"
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/relay"
+	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/utils"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ func (p *PrivateService) GetV1AsymmetricKeypair(req *http.Request, args *Empty,
 }
 
 func (p *PrivateService) PostV1SymmetricMessage(req *http.Request, args *SymmetricMessageArgs, reply *SuccessReply) error {
-	symKeyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(args.SymKey)
+	symKeyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(args.SymKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid symmetric key: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ func (p *PrivateService) PostV1AsymmetricMessage(req *http.Request, args *Asymme
 	keyInfo := new(node.KeyInfo)
 	keyInfo.Kind = node.Asymmetric
 
-	pubKeyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(args.PublicKey)
+	pubKeyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(args.PublicKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("public key cannot be decoded: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -184,7 +185,7 @@ func (p *PrivateService) GetV1SymmetricMessages(req *http.Request, args *Symmetr
 		p.messages[args.Topic] = make([]*pb.WakuMessage, 0)
 	}
 
-	symKeyBytes, err := hexutil.Decode(args.SymKey)
+	symKeyBytes, err := utils.DecodeHexString(args.SymKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid symmetric key: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/waku/v2/rpc/utils.go b/waku/v2/rpc/utils.go
index 3c1613e0..d4665bb9 100644
--- a/waku/v2/rpc/utils.go
+++ b/waku/v2/rpc/utils.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/pb"
+	"github.com/status-im/go-waku/waku/v2/utils"
 )
 
 // HexBytes is marshalled to a hex string
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ func (h *HexBytes) UnmarshalText(b []byte) error {
 		hexString = string(b)
 	}
 
-	decoded, err := hex.DecodeString(hexString)
+	decoded, err := utils.DecodeHexString(hexString)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -181,7 +182,7 @@ func (h *ByteArray) UnmarshalText(b []byte) error {
 		hexString = string(b)
 	}
 
-	decoded, err := hex.DecodeString(hexString)
+	decoded, err := utils.DecodeHexString(hexString)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/hex.go b/waku/v2/utils/hex.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cdc767a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/hex.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package utils
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+func DecodeHexString(input string) ([]byte, error) {
+	input = strings.TrimPrefix(input, "0x")
+	return hex.DecodeString(input)
+}