diff --git a/src/NATSBridge.jl b/src/NATSBridge.jl
index 1068ff5..36008d5 100644
--- a/src/NATSBridge.jl
+++ b/src/NATSBridge.jl
@@ -196,21 +196,6 @@ function envelope_to_json(env::msgEnvelope_v1)
   JSON.json(obj)
 end
 
-""" Helper function to get payload bytes from data
-This function is kept for compatibility but is no longer used.
-All serialization is now handled by `_serialize_data`.
-"""
-function _get_payload_bytes(data::Any)
-    # This function is kept for compatibility but is no longer used.
-    # All serialization is now handled by `_serialize_data`.
-    if isa(data, Vector{UInt8})
-        return data
-    elseif isa(data, String)
-        return bytes(data)
-    else
-        return bytes(data)
-    end
-end
 
 """ Log a trace message with correlation ID and timestamp
 This function logs information messages with a correlation ID for tracing purposes,