diff --git a/exporters/sender/okhttp/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/exporter/sender/okhttp/internal/OkHttpGrpcSender.java b/exporters/sender/okhttp/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/exporter/sender/okhttp/internal/OkHttpGrpcSender.java
index 65a75b33ad2..82b4a169270 100644
--- a/exporters/sender/okhttp/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/exporter/sender/okhttp/internal/OkHttpGrpcSender.java
+++ b/exporters/sender/okhttp/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/exporter/sender/okhttp/internal/OkHttpGrpcSender.java
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ public byte[] getResponseMessage() {
   }
 
   private static byte[] getResponseMessageBytes(byte[] bodyBytes) throws IOException {
-    if (bodyBytes.length > 5) {
+    if (bodyBytes.length >= 5) {
       ByteArrayInputStream bodyStream = new ByteArrayInputStream(bodyBytes);
       bodyStream.skip(5);
       if (bodyBytes[0] == 1) {
diff --git a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSampler.java b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSampler.java
index 25f6881d371..75202072524 100644
--- a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSampler.java
+++ b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSampler.java
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ private static void onError(Throwable e) {
     }
   }
 
-  private static Sampler updateSampler(SamplingStrategyResponse response) {
+  private static Sampler updateSampler(SamplingStrategyResponse response) throws IOException {
     SamplingStrategyResponse.PerOperationSamplingStrategies operationSampling =
         response.perOperationSamplingStrategies;
     if (operationSampling.strategies.size() > 0) {
@@ -156,9 +156,9 @@ private static Sampler updateSampler(SamplingStrategyResponse response) {
         return Sampler.parentBased(
             new RateLimitingSampler(response.rateLimitingSamplingStrategy.maxTracesPerSecond));
       case UNRECOGNIZED:
-        throw new AssertionError("unrecognized sampler type");
+        throw new IOException("unrecognized sampler type");
     }
-    throw new AssertionError("unrecognized sampler type");
+    throw new IOException("unrecognized sampler type");
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerTest.java b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerTest.java
index 370e6e23929..0e9cafbcc0b 100644
--- a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerTest.java
+++ b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerTest.java
@@ -317,6 +317,26 @@ void pollingInterval_duration() {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void emptyResponse() {
+    Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse response =
+        Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse.newBuilder().build();
+    responses.add(response);
+
+    try (JaegerRemoteSampler sampler =
+        JaegerRemoteSampler.builder()
+            .setEndpoint(server.httpUri().toString())
+            .setServiceName(SERVICE_NAME)
+            // Make sure only polls once.
+            .setPollingInterval(500, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+            .build()) {
+      assertThat(sampler).extracting("grpcSender").isInstanceOf(OkHttpGrpcSender.class);
+
+      // Empty response results in an unmarshaling exception which is handled by logging a warning
+      await().untilAsserted(() -> logs.assertContains("Failed to unmarshal strategy response"));
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   void perOperationSampling() {
     Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse response =
diff --git a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/testGrpcNetty/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerGrpcNettyTest.java b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/testGrpcNetty/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerGrpcNettyTest.java
index 85297fa4afb..06eb299e913 100644
--- a/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/testGrpcNetty/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerGrpcNettyTest.java
+++ b/sdk-extensions/jaeger-remote-sampler/src/testGrpcNetty/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/extension/trace/jaeger/sampler/JaegerRemoteSamplerGrpcNettyTest.java
@@ -198,6 +198,26 @@ void pollingInterval_duration() {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void emptyResponse() {
+    Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse response =
+        Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse.newBuilder().build();
+    responses.add(response);
+
+    try (JaegerRemoteSampler sampler =
+        JaegerRemoteSampler.builder()
+            .setChannel(managedChannel())
+            .setServiceName(SERVICE_NAME)
+            // Make sure only polls once.
+            .setPollingInterval(500, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+            .build()) {
+      assertThat(sampler).extracting("grpcSender").isInstanceOf(UpstreamGrpcSender.class);
+
+      // Empty response results in an unmarshaling exception which is handled by logging a warning
+      await().untilAsserted(() -> logs.assertContains("Failed to unmarshal strategy response"));
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   void perOperationSampling() {
     Sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse response =