diff --git a/demos/meteor/client/main.js b/demos/meteor/client/main.js
index 75b7e40..ac5adfc 100644
--- a/demos/meteor/client/main.js
+++ b/demos/meteor/client/main.js
@@ -11,12 +11,11 @@ Template.sheetjs.events({
     /* "Browser file upload form element" from SheetJS README */
     const file = event.currentTarget.files[0];
     const reader = new FileReader();
-    const rABS = !!reader.readAsBinaryString;
     reader.onload = function(e) {
       const data = e.target.result;
       const name = file.name;
       /* Meteor magic */
-      Meteor.call(rABS ? 'uploadS' : 'uploadU', rABS ? data : new Uint8Array(data), name, function(err, wb) {
+      Meteor.call('uploadU', new Uint8Array(data), name, function(err, wb) {
         if (err) throw err;
         /* load the first worksheet */
         const ws = wb.Sheets[wb.SheetNames[0]];
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@ Template.sheetjs.events({
         document.getElementById('dnload').disabled = false;
       });
     };
-    if(rABS) reader.readAsBinaryString(file); else reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file);
+    reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file);
   },
   'click button' () {
     const html = document.getElementById('out').innerHTML;
diff --git a/demos/meteor/server/main.js b/demos/meteor/server/main.js
index ea30a72..da4ab43 100644
--- a/demos/meteor/server/main.js
+++ b/demos/meteor/server/main.js
@@ -5,11 +5,6 @@ import XLSX from 'xlsx';
 
 Meteor.methods({
   /* read the data and return the workbook object to the frontend */
-  uploadS: (bstr, name) => {
-    check(bstr, String);
-    check(name, String);
-    return XLSX.read(bstr, { type: 'binary' });
-  },
   uploadU: (ab, name) => {
     check(ab, Uint8Array);
     check(name, String);
diff --git a/demos/parcel/index.html b/demos/parcel/index.html
index 50ee3d0..11467f6 100644
--- a/demos/parcel/index.html
+++ b/demos/parcel/index.html
@@ -39,8 +39,6 @@ Output Format: <select name="format" onchange="setfmt()">
 
 <textarea id="b64data">... or paste a base64-encoding here</textarea>
 <input type="button" id="dotext" value="Click here to process the base64 text" onclick="b64it();"/><br />
-<b>Advanced Demo Options:</b>
-Use readAsBinaryString: (when available) <input type="checkbox" name="userabs" checked>
 </pre>
 <pre id="out"></pre>
 <div id="htmlout"></div>
diff --git a/demos/parcel/index.js b/demos/parcel/index.js
index 6e39000..5841528 100644
--- a/demos/parcel/index.js
+++ b/demos/parcel/index.js
@@ -88,22 +88,16 @@ var b64it = window.b64it = (function() {
 })();
 
 var do_file = (function() {
-	var rABS = typeof FileReader !== "undefined" && (FileReader.prototype||{}).readAsBinaryString;
-	var domrabs = document.getElementsByName("userabs")[0];
-	if(!rABS) domrabs.disabled = !(domrabs.checked = false);
-
 	return function do_file(files) {
-		rABS = domrabs.checked;
 		var f = files[0];
 		var reader = new FileReader();
 		reader.onload = function(e) {
-			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date(), rABS);
+			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date());
 			var data = e.target.result;
-			if(!rABS) data = new Uint8Array(data);
-			process_wb(X.read(data, {type: rABS ? 'binary' : 'array'}));
+			data = new Uint8Array(data);
+			process_wb(X.read(data, {type: 'array'}));
 		};
-		if(rABS) reader.readAsBinaryString(f);
-		else reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
+		reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
 	};
 })();
 
diff --git a/demos/rollup/app.js b/demos/rollup/app.js
index 573e126..73f9158 100644
--- a/demos/rollup/app.js
+++ b/demos/rollup/app.js
@@ -88,10 +88,6 @@ var b64it = window.b64it = (function() {
 })();
 
 var do_file = (function() {
-	var rABS = typeof FileReader !== "undefined" && (FileReader.prototype||{}).readAsBinaryString;
-	var domrabs = document.getElementsByName("userabs")[0];
-	if(!rABS) domrabs.disabled = !(domrabs.checked = false);
-
 	var use_worker = typeof Worker !== 'undefined';
 	var domwork = document.getElementsByName("useworker")[0];
 	if(!use_worker) domwork.disabled = !(domwork.checked = false);
@@ -105,23 +101,21 @@ var do_file = (function() {
 				case XW.msg: cb(JSON.parse(e.data.d)); break;
 			}
 		};
-		worker.postMessage({d:data,b:rABS?'binary':'array'});
+		worker.postMessage({d:data,b:'array'});
 	};
 
 	return function do_file(files) {
-		rABS = domrabs.checked;
 		use_worker = domwork.checked;
 		var f = files[0];
 		var reader = new FileReader();
 		reader.onload = function(e) {
-			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date(), rABS, use_worker);
+			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date(), use_worker);
 			var data = e.target.result;
-			if(!rABS) data = new Uint8Array(data);
+			data = new Uint8Array(data);
 			if(use_worker) xw(data, process_wb);
-			else process_wb(X.read(data, {type: rABS ? 'binary' : 'array'}));
+			else process_wb(X.read(data, {type: 'array'}));
 		};
-		if(rABS) reader.readAsBinaryString(f);
-		else reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
+		reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
 	};
 })();
 
diff --git a/demos/rollup/rollup.html b/demos/rollup/rollup.html
index f898fe4..86692f9 100644
--- a/demos/rollup/rollup.html
+++ b/demos/rollup/rollup.html
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ Output Format: <select name="format" onchange="setfmt()">
 <input type="button" id="dotext" value="Click here to process the base64 text" onclick="b64it();"/><br />
 <b>Advanced Demo Options:</b>
 Use Web Workers: (when available) <input type="checkbox" name="useworker" checked>
-Use readAsBinaryString: (when available) <input type="checkbox" name="userabs" checked>
 </pre>
 <pre id="out"></pre>
 <div id="htmlout"></div>
diff --git a/demos/systemjs/main.js b/demos/systemjs/main.js
index ecaa841..eb17fcd 100644
--- a/demos/systemjs/main.js
+++ b/demos/systemjs/main.js
@@ -88,22 +88,16 @@ var b64it = window.b64it = (function() {
 })();
 
 var do_file = (function() {
-	var rABS = typeof FileReader !== "undefined" && (FileReader.prototype||{}).readAsBinaryString;
-	var domrabs = document.getElementsByName("userabs")[0];
-	if(!rABS) domrabs.disabled = !(domrabs.checked = false);
-
 	return function do_file(files) {
-		rABS = domrabs.checked;
 		var f = files[0];
 		var reader = new FileReader();
 		reader.onload = function(e) {
-			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date(), rABS);
+			if(typeof console !== 'undefined') console.log("onload", new Date());
 			var data = e.target.result;
-			if(!rABS) data = new Uint8Array(data);
-			process_wb(X.read(data, {type: rABS ? 'binary' : 'array'}));
+			data = new Uint8Array(data);
+			process_wb(X.read(data, {type: 'array'}));
 		};
-		if(rABS) reader.readAsBinaryString(f);
-		else reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
+		reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
 	};
 })();
 
diff --git a/demos/systemjs/systemjs.html b/demos/systemjs/systemjs.html
index 05fbde3..131032b 100644
--- a/demos/systemjs/systemjs.html
+++ b/demos/systemjs/systemjs.html
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ Output Format: <select name="format" onchange="setfmt()">
 <textarea id="b64data">... or paste a base64-encoding here</textarea>
 <input type="button" id="dotext" value="Click here to process the base64 text" onclick="b64it();"/><br />
 <b>Advanced Demo Options:</b>
-Use readAsBinaryString: (when available) <input type="checkbox" name="userabs" checked>
 </pre>
 <pre id="out"></pre>
 <div id="htmlout"></div>