diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.cpp b/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.cpp
index b54a87bef8..bf647dfdd1 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.cpp
@@ -330,6 +330,22 @@ bool OctreePacketData::appendValue(bool value) {
     return success;
 }
 
+bool OctreePacketData::appendValue(const QString& string) {
+    // TODO: make this a ByteCountCoded leading byte
+    uint16_t length = string.size() + 1; // include NULL
+    bool success = appendValue(length);
+    if (success) {
+        success = appendRawData((const unsigned char*)qPrintable(string), length);
+    }
+    return success;
+}
+
+bool OctreePacketData::appendValue(const QByteArray& bytes) {
+    bool success = appendRawData((const unsigned char*)bytes.constData(), bytes.size());
+    return success;
+}
+
+
 bool OctreePacketData::appendPosition(const glm::vec3& value) {
     const unsigned char* data = (const unsigned char*)&value;
     int length = sizeof(value);
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.h b/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.h
index c18185b5d0..459a74ba25 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.h
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreePacketData.h
@@ -144,6 +144,12 @@ public:
 
     /// appends a bool value to the end of the stream, may fail if new data stream is too long to fit in packet
     bool appendValue(bool value);
+    
+    /// appends a string value to the end of the stream, may fail if new data stream is too long to fit in packet
+    bool appendValue(const QString& string);
+
+    /// appends a QByteArray value to the end of the stream, may fail if new data stream is too long to fit in packet
+    bool appendValue(const QByteArray& bytes);
 
     /// appends a position to the end of the stream, may fail if new data stream is too long to fit in packet
     bool appendPosition(const glm::vec3& value);