diff --git a/bytes.go b/bytes.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3944bfe1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bytes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// +build !appengine
+
+package bigcache
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"unsafe"
+)
+
+func bytesToString(b []byte) string {
+	bytesHeader := (*reflect.SliceHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&b))
+	strHeader := reflect.StringHeader{Data: bytesHeader.Data, Len: bytesHeader.Len}
+	return *(*string)(unsafe.Pointer(&strHeader))
+}
diff --git a/bytes_appengine.go b/bytes_appengine.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3892f3b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bytes_appengine.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// +build appengine
+
+package bigcache
+
+func bytesToString(b []byte) string {
+	return string(b)
+}
diff --git a/encoding.go b/encoding.go
index 5d90d71d..4d434e5d 100644
--- a/encoding.go
+++ b/encoding.go
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@ package bigcache
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
-	"reflect"
-	"unsafe"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -55,12 +53,6 @@ func readKeyFromEntry(data []byte) string {
 	return bytesToString(dst)
 }
 
-func bytesToString(b []byte) string {
-	bytesHeader := (*reflect.SliceHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&b))
-	strHeader := reflect.StringHeader{Data: bytesHeader.Data, Len: bytesHeader.Len}
-	return *(*string)(unsafe.Pointer(&strHeader))
-}
-
 func readHashFromEntry(data []byte) uint64 {
 	return binary.LittleEndian.Uint64(data[timestampSizeInBytes:])
 }