diff --git a/homeassistant/components/owntracks/__init__.py b/homeassistant/components/owntracks/__init__.py
index 6086ee1efd8..560493888d4 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/owntracks/__init__.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/owntracks/__init__.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from homeassistant.helpers.dispatcher import (
 )
 from homeassistant.helpers.typing import ConfigType
 from homeassistant.setup import async_when_setup
+from homeassistant.util.json import json_loads
 
 from .config_flow import CONF_SECRET
 from .const import DOMAIN
@@ -133,10 +134,11 @@ async def async_connect_mqtt(hass, component):
     """Subscribe to MQTT topic."""
     context = hass.data[DOMAIN]["context"]
 
-    async def async_handle_mqtt_message(msg):
+    @callback
+    def async_handle_mqtt_message(msg):
         """Handle incoming OwnTracks message."""
         try:
-            message = json.loads(msg.payload)
+            message = json_loads(msg.payload)
         except ValueError:
             # If invalid JSON
             _LOGGER.error("Unable to parse payload as JSON: %s", msg.payload)