diff --git a/lib/src/impl/realtime/channels.dart b/lib/src/impl/realtime/channels.dart
index 8078a578b..43b12f828 100644
--- a/lib/src/impl/realtime/channels.dart
+++ b/lib/src/impl/realtime/channels.dart
@@ -51,13 +51,13 @@ class RealtimePlatformChannel extends PlatformObject
         if (options != null) 'options': options,
       };
 
-  final _publishQueue = Queue<_RealtimePublishQueueItem>();
+  final _publishQueue = Queue<_PublishQueueItem>();
   Completer<void> _authCallbackCompleter;
 
   @override
   Future<void> publish({
-    spec.Message message,
-    List<spec.Message> messages,
+    Message message,
+    List<Message> messages,
     String name,
     Object data,
   }) async {
@@ -66,16 +66,10 @@ class RealtimePlatformChannel extends PlatformObject
       if (message != null) {
         _messages = [message];
       } else {
-        _messages ??= [
-          spec.Message(
-            name: name,
-            data: data
-          )
-        ];
+        _messages = [Message(name: name, data: data)];
       }
     }
-    final queueItem = _RealtimePublishQueueItem(
-        Completer<void>(), message, messages);
+    final queueItem = _PublishQueueItem(Completer<void>(), _messages);
     _publishQueue.add(queueItem);
     unawaited(_publishInternal());
     return queueItem.completer.future;
@@ -220,11 +214,9 @@ class RealtimePlatformChannels
 
 /// An item for used to enqueue a message to be published after an ongoing
 /// authCallback is completed
-class _RealtimePublishQueueItem {
-  spec.Message message;
+class _PublishQueueItem {
   List<spec.Message> messages;
   final Completer<void> completer;
 
-  _RealtimePublishQueueItem(
-      this.completer, this.message, this.messages);
+  _PublishQueueItem(this.completer, this.messages);
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/impl/rest/channels.dart b/lib/src/impl/rest/channels.dart
index 94008cd94..4610c3eb5 100644
--- a/lib/src/impl/rest/channels.dart
+++ b/lib/src/impl/rest/channels.dart
@@ -56,19 +56,14 @@ class RestPlatformChannel extends PlatformObject implements spec.RestChannel {
     Object data,
   }) async {
     var _messages = messages;
-    if(_messages == null){
+    if (_messages == null) {
       if (message != null) {
         _messages = [message];
       } else {
-        _messages ??= [
-          spec.Message(
-            name: name,
-            data: data
-          )
-        ];
+        _messages = [Message(name: name, data: data)];
       }
     }
-    final queueItem = _PublishQueueItem(Completer<void>(), messages);
+    final queueItem = _PublishQueueItem(Completer<void>(), _messages);
     _publishQueue.add(queueItem);
     unawaited(_publishInternal());
     return queueItem.completer.future;
@@ -153,7 +148,7 @@ class RestPlatformChannels extends spec.RestChannels<RestPlatformChannel> {
 
   @override
   RestPlatformChannel createChannel(String name, ChannelOptions options) =>
-    RestPlatformChannel(ably, name, options);
+      RestPlatformChannel(ably, name, options);
 }
 
 /// An item for used to enqueue a message to be published after an ongoing
diff --git a/lib/src/spec/common.dart b/lib/src/spec/common.dart
index ac38ef464..cc4b5da05 100644
--- a/lib/src/spec/common.dart
+++ b/lib/src/spec/common.dart
@@ -357,7 +357,9 @@ class AblyException implements Exception {
 
   @override
   String toString() {
-    if (message == null) return 'AblyException';
+    if (message == null) {
+      return 'AblyException (${(code == null) ? "" : '$code '})';
+    }
     return 'AblyException: $message (${(code == null) ? "" : '$code '})';
   }
 }