diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Children.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
index 16b7953e21..f14313de84 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import scala.collection.immutable
 import akka.actor._
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
 import akka.util.{ Unsafe, Helpers }
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 private[akka] trait Children { this: ActorCell ⇒
 
@@ -190,7 +191,18 @@ private[akka] trait Children { this: ActorCell ⇒
         props.args forall (arg ⇒
           arg == null ||
             arg.isInstanceOf[NoSerializationVerificationNeeded] ||
-            ser.deserialize(ser.serialize(arg.asInstanceOf[AnyRef]).get, arg.getClass).get != null)
+            {
+              val o = arg.asInstanceOf[AnyRef]
+              val serializer = ser.findSerializerFor(o)
+              val bytes = serializer.toBinary(o)
+              serializer match {
+                case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+                  val manifest = ser2.manifest(o)
+                  ser.deserialize(bytes, serializer.identifier, manifest).get != null
+                case _ ⇒
+                  ser.deserialize(bytes, arg.getClass).get != null
+              }
+            })
       } catch {
         case NonFatal(e) ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"pre-creation serialization check failed at [${cell.self.path}/$name]", e)
       }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Dispatch.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Dispatch.scala
index b45ef9d59b..f404b43306 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Dispatch.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/dungeon/Dispatch.scala
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import scala.util.control.NonFatal
 import scala.util.control.Exception.Catcher
 import akka.dispatch.MailboxType
 import akka.dispatch.ProducesMessageQueue
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 private[akka] trait Dispatch { this: ActorCell ⇒
 
@@ -117,7 +118,15 @@ private[akka] trait Dispatch { this: ActorCell ⇒
         }).asInstanceOf[AnyRef]
         if (!unwrapped.isInstanceOf[NoSerializationVerificationNeeded]) {
           val s = SerializationExtension(system)
-          s.deserialize(s.serialize(unwrapped).get, unwrapped.getClass).get
+          val serializer = s.findSerializerFor(unwrapped)
+          val bytes = serializer.toBinary(unwrapped)
+          serializer match {
+            case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+              val manifest = ser2.manifest(unwrapped)
+              s.deserialize(bytes, serializer.identifier, manifest).get != null
+            case _ ⇒
+              s.deserialize(bytes, unwrapped.getClass).get
+          }
         }
       }
       dispatcher.dispatch(this, msg)
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serialization.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serialization.scala
index 17e6625e80..09f29b2b50 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serialization.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serialization.scala
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import java.io.NotSerializableException
 import scala.util.{ Try, DynamicVariable, Failure }
 import scala.collection.immutable
 import scala.util.control.NonFatal
+import scala.util.Success
 
 object Serialization {
 
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ class Serialization(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
 
   /**
    * Deserializes the given array of bytes using the specified serializer id,
-   * using the optional type hint to the Serializer and the optional ClassLoader ot load it into.
+   * using the optional type hint to the Serializer.
    * Returns either the resulting object or an Exception if one was thrown.
    */
   def deserialize[T](bytes: Array[Byte], serializerId: Int, clazz: Option[Class[_ <: T]]): Try[T] =
@@ -104,9 +105,37 @@ class Serialization(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
       serializer.fromBinary(bytes, clazz).asInstanceOf[T]
     }
 
+  /**
+   * Deserializes the given array of bytes using the specified serializer id,
+   * using the optional type hint to the Serializer.
+   * Returns either the resulting object or an Exception if one was thrown.
+   */
+  def deserialize(bytes: Array[Byte], serializerId: Int, manifest: String): Try[AnyRef] =
+    Try {
+      val serializer = try serializerByIdentity(serializerId) catch {
+        case _: NoSuchElementException ⇒ throw new NotSerializableException(
+          s"Cannot find serializer with id [$serializerId]. The most probable reason is that the configuration entry " +
+            "akka.actor.serializers is not in synch between the two systems.")
+      }
+      serializer match {
+        case s2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒ s2.fromBinary(bytes, manifest)
+        case s1 ⇒
+          if (manifest == "")
+            s1.fromBinary(bytes, None)
+          else {
+            system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](manifest) match {
+              case Success(classManifest) ⇒
+                s1.fromBinary(bytes, Some(classManifest))
+              case Failure(e) ⇒
+                throw new NotSerializableException(
+                  s"Cannot find manifest class [$manifest] for serializer with id [$serializerId].")
+            }
+          }
+      }
+    }
+
   /**
    * Deserializes the given array of bytes using the specified type to look up what Serializer should be used.
-   * You can specify an optional ClassLoader to load the object into.
    * Returns either the resulting object or an Exception if one was thrown.
    */
   def deserialize[T](bytes: Array[Byte], clazz: Class[T]): Try[T] =
@@ -118,10 +147,8 @@ class Serialization(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
    * Throws akka.ConfigurationException if no `serialization-bindings` is configured for the
    *   class of the object.
    */
-  def findSerializerFor(o: AnyRef): Serializer = o match {
-    case null  ⇒ NullSerializer
-    case other ⇒ serializerFor(other.getClass)
-  }
+  def findSerializerFor(o: AnyRef): Serializer =
+    if (o eq null) NullSerializer else serializerFor(o.getClass)
 
   /**
    * Returns the configured Serializer for the given Class. The configured Serializer
@@ -205,5 +232,6 @@ class Serialization(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension {
    */
   val serializerByIdentity: Map[Int, Serializer] =
     Map(NullSerializer.identifier -> NullSerializer) ++ serializers map { case (_, v) ⇒ (v.identifier, v) }
+
 }
 
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serializer.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serializer.scala
index 429a465764..7cadd47acc 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serializer.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/serialization/Serializer.scala
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import akka.serialization.JavaSerializer.CurrentSystem
  * load classes using reflection.</li>
  * </ul>
  *
- * <b>Be sure to always use the PropertyManager for loading classes!</b> This is necessary to
+ * <b>Be sure to always use the [[akka.actor.DynamicAccess]] for loading classes!</b> This is necessary to
  * avoid strange match errors and inequalities which arise from different class loaders loading
  * the same class.
  */
@@ -65,6 +65,74 @@ trait Serializer {
   final def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], clazz: Class[_]): AnyRef = fromBinary(bytes, Option(clazz))
 }
 
+/**
+ * A Serializer represents a bimap between an object and an array of bytes representing that object.
+ *
+ * For serialization of data that need to evolve over time the `SerializerWithStringManifest` is recommended instead
+ * of [[Serializer]] because the manifest (type hint) is a `String` instead of a `Class`. That means
+ * that the class can be moved/removed and the serializer can still deserialize old data by matching
+ * on the `String`. This is especially useful for Akka Persistence.
+ *
+ * The manifest string can also encode a version number that can be used in [[#fromBinary]] to
+ * deserialize in different ways to migrate old data to new domain objects.
+ *
+ * If the data was originally serialized with [[Serializer]] and in a later version of the
+ * system you change to `SerializerWithStringManifest` the manifest string will be the full class name if
+ * you used `includeManifest=true`, otherwise it will be the empty string.
+ *
+ * Serializers are loaded using reflection during [[akka.actor.ActorSystem]]
+ * start-up, where two constructors are tried in order:
+ *
+ * <ul>
+ * <li>taking exactly one argument of type [[akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem]];
+ * this should be the preferred one because all reflective loading of classes
+ * during deserialization should use ExtendedActorSystem.dynamicAccess (see
+ * [[akka.actor.DynamicAccess]]), and</li>
+ * <li>without arguments, which is only an option if the serializer does not
+ * load classes using reflection.</li>
+ * </ul>
+ *
+ * <b>Be sure to always use the [[akka.actor.DynamicAccess]] for loading classes!</b> This is necessary to
+ * avoid strange match errors and inequalities which arise from different class loaders loading
+ * the same class.
+ */
+abstract class SerializerWithStringManifest extends Serializer {
+
+  /**
+   * Completely unique value to identify this implementation of Serializer, used to optimize network traffic.
+   * Values from 0 to 16 are reserved for Akka internal usage.
+   */
+  def identifier: Int
+
+  final override def includeManifest: Boolean = true
+
+  /**
+   * Return the manifest (type hint) that will be provided in the fromBinary method.
+   * Use `""` if manifest is not needed.
+   */
+  def manifest(o: AnyRef): String
+
+  /**
+   * Serializes the given object into an Array of Byte
+   */
+  def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte]
+
+  /**
+   * Produces an object from an array of bytes, with an optional type-hint;
+   * the class should be loaded using ActorSystem.dynamicAccess.
+   */
+  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef
+
+  final def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = {
+    val manifestString = manifest match {
+      case Some(c) ⇒ c.getName
+      case None    ⇒ ""
+    }
+    fromBinary(bytes, manifestString)
+  }
+
+}
+
 /**
  *  Base serializer trait with serialization identifiers configuration contract,
  *  when globally unique serialization identifier is configured in the `reference.conf`.
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
index 2ae54536be..4300f46123 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/ByteString.scala
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ package akka.util
 import java.io.{ ObjectInputStream, ObjectOutputStream }
 import java.nio.{ ByteBuffer, ByteOrder }
 import java.lang.{ Iterable ⇒ JIterable }
-
 import scala.annotation.varargs
 import scala.collection.IndexedSeqOptimized
 import scala.collection.mutable.{ Builder, WrappedArray }
@@ -15,6 +14,7 @@ import scala.collection.immutable
 import scala.collection.immutable.{ IndexedSeq, VectorBuilder }
 import scala.collection.generic.CanBuildFrom
 import scala.reflect.ClassTag
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
 
 object ByteString {
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ object ByteString {
   /**
    * Creates a new ByteString by encoding a String as UTF-8.
    */
-  def apply(string: String): ByteString = apply(string, "UTF-8")
+  def apply(string: String): ByteString = apply(string, UTF_8)
 
   /**
    * Creates a new ByteString by encoding a String with a charset.
@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@ object ByteString {
    */
   def fromString(string: String, charset: String): ByteString = apply(string, charset)
 
+  /**
+   * Standard "UTF-8" charset
+   */
+  val UTF_8: String = StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name()
+
   /**
    * Creates a new ByteString by copying bytes out of a ByteBuffer.
    */
@@ -484,7 +489,7 @@ sealed abstract class ByteString extends IndexedSeq[Byte] with IndexedSeqOptimiz
   /**
    * Decodes this ByteString as a UTF-8 encoded String.
    */
-  final def utf8String: String = decodeString("UTF-8")
+  final def utf8String: String = decodeString(ByteString.UTF_8)
 
   /**
    * Decodes this ByteString using a charset to produce a String.
@@ -539,7 +544,7 @@ object CompactByteString {
   /**
    * Creates a new CompactByteString by encoding a String as UTF-8.
    */
-  def apply(string: String): CompactByteString = apply(string, "UTF-8")
+  def apply(string: String): CompactByteString = apply(string, ByteString.UTF_8)
 
   /**
    * Creates a new CompactByteString by encoding a String with a charset.
diff --git a/akka-cluster-metrics/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializer.scala b/akka-cluster-metrics/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializer.scala
index 9f74c76dba..6171a5f7dc 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-metrics/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-metrics/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializer.scala
@@ -7,34 +7,36 @@ package akka.cluster.metrics.protobuf
 import java.io.{ ByteArrayInputStream, ByteArrayOutputStream, ObjectOutputStream }
 import java.util.zip.{ GZIPInputStream, GZIPOutputStream }
 import java.{ lang ⇒ jl }
-
 import akka.actor.{ Address, ExtendedActorSystem }
 import akka.cluster.metrics.protobuf.msg.{ ClusterMetricsMessages ⇒ cm }
 import akka.cluster.metrics.{ ClusterMetricsMessage, ClusterMetricsSettings, EWMA, Metric, MetricsGossip, MetricsGossipEnvelope, NodeMetrics }
 import akka.serialization.BaseSerializer
 import akka.util.ClassLoaderObjectInputStream
 import com.google.protobuf.{ ByteString, MessageLite }
-
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import scala.collection.JavaConverters.{ asJavaIterableConverter, asScalaBufferConverter, setAsJavaSetConverter }
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 /**
  * Protobuf serializer for [[akka.cluster.metrics.ClusterMetricsMessage]] types.
  */
-class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer {
+class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends SerializerWithStringManifest with BaseSerializer {
 
   private final val BufferSize = 4 * 1024
 
-  private val fromBinaryMap = collection.immutable.HashMap[Class[_ <: ClusterMetricsMessage], Array[Byte] ⇒ AnyRef](
-    classOf[MetricsGossipEnvelope] -> metricsGossipEnvelopeFromBinary)
+  private val MetricsGossipEnvelopeManifest = "a"
 
-  override val includeManifest: Boolean = true
+  override def manifest(obj: AnyRef): String = obj match {
+    case _: MetricsGossipEnvelope ⇒ MetricsGossipEnvelopeManifest
+    case _ ⇒
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
+  }
 
   override def toBinary(obj: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = obj match {
     case m: MetricsGossipEnvelope ⇒
       compress(metricsGossipEnvelopeToProto(m))
     case _ ⇒
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass}")
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
   }
 
   def compress(msg: MessageLite): Array[Byte] = {
@@ -61,12 +63,10 @@ class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
     out.toByteArray
   }
 
-  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], clazz: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = clazz match {
-    case Some(c) ⇒ fromBinaryMap.get(c.asInstanceOf[Class[ClusterMetricsMessage]]) match {
-      case Some(f) ⇒ f(bytes)
-      case None    ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Unimplemented deserialization of message class $c in metrics")
-    }
-    case _ ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException("Need a metrics message class to be able to deserialize bytes in metrics")
+  override def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = manifest match {
+    case MetricsGossipEnvelopeManifest ⇒ metricsGossipEnvelopeFromBinary(bytes)
+    case _ ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+      s"Unimplemented deserialization of message with manifest [$manifest] in [${getClass.getName}")
   }
 
   private def addressToProto(address: Address): cm.Address.Builder = address match {
diff --git a/akka-cluster-metrics/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializerSpec.scala b/akka-cluster-metrics/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializerSpec.scala
index 1f47016bdb..e68b9f8b94 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-metrics/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializerSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-metrics/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/metrics/protobuf/MessageSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class MessageSerializerSpec extends AkkaSpec(
 
   def checkSerialization(obj: AnyRef): Unit = {
     val blob = serializer.toBinary(obj)
-    val ref = serializer.fromBinary(blob, obj.getClass)
+    val ref = serializer.fromBinary(blob, serializer.manifest(obj))
     obj match {
       case _ ⇒
         ref should ===(obj)
diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer.scala b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer.scala
index 770f572742..77a9d8bb24 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer.scala
@@ -27,40 +27,57 @@ import akka.serialization.Serialization
 import akka.actor.ActorRef
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
 import scala.collection.immutable.TreeMap
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 /**
  * Protobuf serializer of DistributedPubSubMediator messages.
  */
-class DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer {
+class DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem)
+  extends SerializerWithStringManifest with BaseSerializer {
+
+  private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
 
   private final val BufferSize = 1024 * 4
 
-  private val fromBinaryMap = collection.immutable.HashMap[Class[_ <: DistributedPubSubMessage], Array[Byte] ⇒ AnyRef](
-    classOf[Status] -> statusFromBinary,
-    classOf[Delta] -> deltaFromBinary,
-    classOf[Send] -> sendFromBinary,
-    classOf[SendToAll] -> sendToAllFromBinary,
-    classOf[Publish] -> publishFromBinary)
+  private val StatusManifest = "A"
+  private val DeltaManifest = "B"
+  private val SendManifest = "C"
+  private val SendToAllManifest = "D"
+  private val PublishManifest = "E"
 
-  def includeManifest: Boolean = true
+  private val fromBinaryMap = collection.immutable.HashMap[String, Array[Byte] ⇒ AnyRef](
+    StatusManifest -> statusFromBinary,
+    DeltaManifest -> deltaFromBinary,
+    SendManifest -> sendFromBinary,
+    SendToAllManifest -> sendToAllFromBinary,
+    PublishManifest -> publishFromBinary)
 
-  def toBinary(obj: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = obj match {
+  override def manifest(obj: AnyRef): String = obj match {
+    case _: Status    ⇒ StatusManifest
+    case _: Delta     ⇒ DeltaManifest
+    case _: Send      ⇒ SendManifest
+    case _: SendToAll ⇒ SendToAllManifest
+    case _: Publish   ⇒ PublishManifest
+    case _ ⇒
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
+  }
+
+  override def toBinary(obj: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = obj match {
     case m: Status    ⇒ compress(statusToProto(m))
     case m: Delta     ⇒ compress(deltaToProto(m))
     case m: Send      ⇒ sendToProto(m).toByteArray
     case m: SendToAll ⇒ sendToAllToProto(m).toByteArray
     case m: Publish   ⇒ publishToProto(m).toByteArray
     case _ ⇒
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass}")
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Can't serialize object of type ${obj.getClass} in [${getClass.getName}]")
   }
 
-  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], clazz: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = clazz match {
-    case Some(c) ⇒ fromBinaryMap.get(c.asInstanceOf[Class[DistributedPubSubMessage]]) match {
+  override def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef =
+    fromBinaryMap.get(manifest) match {
       case Some(f) ⇒ f(bytes)
-      case None    ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Unimplemented deserialization of message class $c in DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer")
+      case None ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+        s"Unimplemented deserialization of message with manifest [$manifest] in [${getClass.getName}]")
     }
-    case _ ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException("Need a message class to be able to deserialize bytes in DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer")
-  }
 
   def compress(msg: MessageLite): Array[Byte] = {
     val bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream(BufferSize)
@@ -189,21 +206,30 @@ class DistributedPubSubMessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extend
 
   private def payloadToProto(msg: Any): dm.Payload = {
     val m = msg.asInstanceOf[AnyRef]
-    val msgSerializer = SerializationExtension(system).findSerializerFor(m)
+    val msgSerializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(m)
     val builder = dm.Payload.newBuilder().
       setEnclosedMessage(ByteString.copyFrom(msgSerializer.toBinary(m)))
       .setSerializerId(msgSerializer.identifier)
-    if (msgSerializer.includeManifest)
-      builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(m.getClass.getName))
+
+    msgSerializer match {
+      case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+        val manifest = ser2.manifest(m)
+        if (manifest != "")
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(manifest))
+      case _ ⇒
+        if (msgSerializer.includeManifest)
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(m.getClass.getName))
+    }
+
     builder.build()
   }
 
   private def payloadFromProto(payload: dm.Payload): AnyRef = {
-    SerializationExtension(system).deserialize(
+    val manifest = if (payload.hasMessageManifest) payload.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8 else ""
+    serialization.deserialize(
       payload.getEnclosedMessage.toByteArray,
       payload.getSerializerId,
-      if (payload.hasMessageManifest)
-        Some(system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](payload.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8).get) else None).get
+      manifest).get
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializerSpec.scala b/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializerSpec.scala
index 43830d7ab4..6925b67e55 100644
--- a/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializerSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster-tools/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/pubsub/protobuf/DistributedPubSubMessageSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class DistributedPubSubMessageSerializerSpec extends AkkaSpec {
 
   def checkSerialization(obj: AnyRef): Unit = {
     val blob = serializer.toBinary(obj)
-    val ref = serializer.fromBinary(blob, obj.getClass)
+    val ref = serializer.fromBinary(blob, serializer.manifest(obj))
     ref should ===(obj)
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocTest.java b/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocTest.java
index 8aa1518064..7696b2bb4e 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocTest.java
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocTest.java
@@ -3,9 +3,14 @@
  */
 package docs.serialization;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
+
 import akka.testkit.JavaTestKit;
+
 import org.junit.Test;
 import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+
 //#imports
 import akka.actor.*;
 import akka.serialization.*;
@@ -49,6 +54,79 @@ public class SerializationDocTest {
   }
 //#my-own-serializer
 
+  static class Customer {
+    public final String name;
+    
+    Customer(String name) {
+      this.name = name;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  static class User {
+    public final String name;
+    
+    User(String name) {
+      this.name = name;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  static
+  //#my-own-serializer2
+  public class MyOwnSerializer2 extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
+
+    private static final String CUSTOMER_MANIFEST = "customer";
+    private static final String USER_MANIFEST = "user";
+    private static final String UTF_8 = StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name();
+    
+    // Pick a unique identifier for your Serializer,
+    // you've got a couple of billions to choose from,
+    // 0 - 16 is reserved by Akka itself
+    @Override public int identifier() {
+      return 1234567;
+    }
+    
+    @Override public String manifest(Object obj) {
+      if (obj instanceof Customer)
+        return CUSTOMER_MANIFEST;
+      else if (obj instanceof User)
+        return USER_MANIFEST;
+      else 
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknow type: " + obj);
+    }
+
+    // "toBinary" serializes the given object to an Array of Bytes
+    @Override public byte[] toBinary(Object obj) {
+      // Put the real code that serializes the object here
+      try {
+        if (obj instanceof Customer)
+          return ((Customer) obj).name.getBytes(UTF_8);
+        else if (obj instanceof User)
+          return ((User) obj).name.getBytes(UTF_8);
+        else 
+          throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknow type: " + obj);
+      } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
+        throw new RuntimeException(e.getMessage(), e);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // "fromBinary" deserializes the given array,
+    // using the type hint
+    @Override public Object fromBinary(byte[] bytes, String manifest) {
+      // Put the real code that deserializes here
+      try {
+        if (manifest.equals(CUSTOMER_MANIFEST))
+          return new Customer(new String(bytes, UTF_8));
+        else if (manifest.equals(USER_MANIFEST))
+          return new User(new String(bytes, UTF_8));
+        else 
+          throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknow manifest: " + manifest);
+      } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
+        throw new RuntimeException(e.getMessage(), e);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+//#my-own-serializer2
+
   @Test public void serializeActorRefs() {
     final ExtendedActorSystem extendedSystem = (ExtendedActorSystem)
       ActorSystem.create("whatever");
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/java/serialization.rst b/akka-docs/rst/java/serialization.rst
index 1706df00b1..7b60c5ee86 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/java/serialization.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/java/serialization.rst
@@ -103,9 +103,38 @@ which is done by extending ``akka.serialization.JSerializer``, like this:
    :include: my-own-serializer
    :exclude: ...
 
+The manifest is a type hint so that the same serializer can be used for different
+classes. The manifest parameter in ``fromBinaryJava`` is the class of the object that
+was serialized. In ``fromBinary`` you can match on the class and deserialize the
+bytes to different objects.
+
 Then you only need to fill in the blanks, bind it to a name in your :ref:`configuration` and then
 list which classes that should be serialized using it.
 
+Serializer with String Manifest
+-------------------------------
+
+The ``Serializer`` illustrated above supports a class based manifest (type hint).
+For serialization of data that need to evolve over time the `SerializerWithStringManifest`
+is recommended instead of ``Serializer`` because the manifest (type hint) is a ``String``
+instead of a ``Class``. That means that the class can be moved/removed and the serializer
+can still deserialize old data by matching  on the ``String``. This is especially useful
+for :ref:`persistence-java`.
+
+The manifest string can also encode a version number that can be used in ``fromBinary`` to
+deserialize in different ways to migrate old data to new domain objects.
+
+If the data was originally serialized with ``Serializer`` and in a later version of the
+system you change to ``SerializerWithStringManifest`` the manifest string will be the full
+class name if you used ``includeManifest=true``, otherwise it will be the empty string.
+
+This is how a ``SerializerWithStringManifest`` looks like:
+
+.. includecode:: code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocTest.java#my-own-serializer2
+
+You must also bind it to a name in your :ref:`configuration` and then list which classes
+that should be serialized using it.
+
 Serializing ActorRefs
 ---------------------
 
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocSpec.scala
index d308e45707..638e88d7d0 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocSpec.scala
@@ -15,12 +15,13 @@ package docs.serialization {
   import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
   import akka.actor.Extension
   import akka.actor.Address
+  import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
 
   //#my-own-serializer
   class MyOwnSerializer extends Serializer {
 
     // This is whether "fromBinary" requires a "clazz" or not
-    def includeManifest: Boolean = false
+    def includeManifest: Boolean = true
 
     // Pick a unique identifier for your Serializer,
     // you've got a couple of billions to choose from,
@@ -37,7 +38,6 @@ package docs.serialization {
 
     // "fromBinary" deserializes the given array,
     // using the type hint (if any, see "includeManifest" above)
-    // into the optionally provided classLoader.
     def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte],
                    clazz: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = {
       // Put your code that deserializes here
@@ -48,8 +48,52 @@ package docs.serialization {
   }
   //#my-own-serializer
 
+  //#my-own-serializer2
+  class MyOwnSerializer2 extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
+
+    val CustomerManifest = "customer"
+    val UserManifest = "user"
+    val UTF_8 = StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name()
+
+    // Pick a unique identifier for your Serializer,
+    // you've got a couple of billions to choose from,
+    // 0 - 16 is reserved by Akka itself
+    def identifier = 1234567
+
+    // The manifest (type hint) that will be provided in the fromBinary method
+    // Use `""` if manifest is not needed.
+    def manifest(obj: AnyRef): String =
+      obj match {
+        case _: Customer => CustomerManifest
+        case _: User     => UserManifest
+      }
+
+    // "toBinary" serializes the given object to an Array of Bytes
+    def toBinary(obj: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = {
+      // Put the real code that serializes the object here
+      obj match {
+        case Customer(name) => name.getBytes(UTF_8)
+        case User(name)     => name.getBytes(UTF_8)
+      }
+    }
+
+    // "fromBinary" deserializes the given array,
+    // using the type hint
+    def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = {
+      // Put the real code that deserializes here
+      manifest match {
+        case CustomerManifest =>
+          Customer(new String(bytes, UTF_8))
+        case UserManifest =>
+          User(new String(bytes, UTF_8))
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  //#my-own-serializer2
+
   trait MyOwnSerializable
   final case class Customer(name: String) extends MyOwnSerializable
+  final case class User(name: String) extends MyOwnSerializable
 
   class SerializationDocSpec extends AkkaSpec {
     "demonstrate configuration of serialize messages" in {
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/serialization.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/serialization.rst
index 758b8c92a8..d4d1da4301 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/serialization.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/serialization.rst
@@ -95,9 +95,38 @@ First you need to create a class definition of your ``Serializer`` like so:
    :include: imports,my-own-serializer
    :exclude: ...
 
+The manifest is a type hint so that the same serializer can be used for different
+classes. The manifest parameter in ``fromBinary`` is the class of the object that
+was serialized. In ``fromBinary`` you can match on the class and deserialize the
+bytes to different objects.
+
 Then you only need to fill in the blanks, bind it to a name in your :ref:`configuration` and then
 list which classes that should be serialized using it.
 
+Serializer with String Manifest
+-------------------------------
+
+The ``Serializer`` illustrated above supports a class based manifest (type hint).
+For serialization of data that need to evolve over time the `SerializerWithStringManifest`
+is recommended instead of ``Serializer`` because the manifest (type hint) is a ``String``
+instead of a ``Class``. That means that the class can be moved/removed and the serializer
+can still deserialize old data by matching  on the ``String``. This is especially useful
+for :ref:`persistence-scala`.
+
+The manifest string can also encode a version number that can be used in ``fromBinary`` to
+deserialize in different ways to migrate old data to new domain objects.
+
+If the data was originally serialized with ``Serializer`` and in a later version of the
+system you change to ``SerializerWithStringManifest`` the manifest string will be the full
+class name if you used ``includeManifest=true``, otherwise it will be the empty string.
+
+This is how a ``SerializerWithStringManifest`` looks like:
+
+.. includecode:: code/docs/serialization/SerializationDocSpec.scala#my-own-serializer2
+
+You must also bind it to a name in your :ref:`configuration` and then list which classes
+that should be serialized using it.
+
 Serializing ActorRefs
 ---------------------
 
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/LeveldbIdMapping.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/LeveldbIdMapping.scala
index 87e1e54a10..6fbec39b0a 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/LeveldbIdMapping.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/leveldb/LeveldbIdMapping.scala
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ package akka.persistence.journal.leveldb
 import org.iq80.leveldb.DBIterator
 
 import akka.actor.Actor
+import akka.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 
 /**
  * INTERNAL API.
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ private[persistence] trait LeveldbIdMapping extends Actor { this: LeveldbStore 
       val nextEntry = iter.next()
       val nextKey = keyFromBytes(nextEntry.getKey)
       if (!isMappingKey(nextKey)) pathMap else {
-        val nextVal = new String(nextEntry.getValue, "UTF-8")
+        val nextVal = new String(nextEntry.getValue, UTF_8)
         readIdMap(pathMap + (nextVal -> nextKey.mappingId), iter)
       }
     }
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ private[persistence] trait LeveldbIdMapping extends Actor { this: LeveldbStore 
 
   private def writeIdMapping(id: String, numericId: Int): Int = {
     idMap = idMap + (id -> numericId)
-    leveldb.put(keyToBytes(mappingKey(numericId)), id.getBytes("UTF-8"))
+    leveldb.put(keyToBytes(mappingKey(numericId)), id.getBytes(UTF_8))
     numericId
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/MessageSerializer.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/MessageSerializer.scala
index a00484917f..169db11cfc 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/MessageSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/MessageSerializer.scala
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
   val AtLeastOnceDeliverySnapshotClass = classOf[AtLeastOnceDeliverySnap]
   val PersistentStateChangeEventClass = classOf[StateChangeEvent]
 
+  private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+
   override val includeManifest: Boolean = true
 
   private lazy val transportInformation: Option[Serialization.Information] = {
@@ -127,10 +129,18 @@ class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
 
   private def persistentPayloadBuilder(payload: AnyRef) = {
     def payloadBuilder() = {
-      val serializer = SerializationExtension(system).findSerializerFor(payload)
+      val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(payload)
       val builder = PersistentPayload.newBuilder()
 
-      if (serializer.includeManifest) builder.setPayloadManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(payload.getClass.getName))
+      serializer match {
+        case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+          val manifest = ser2.manifest(payload)
+          if (manifest != "")
+            builder.setPayloadManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(manifest))
+        case _ ⇒
+          if (serializer.includeManifest)
+            builder.setPayloadManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(payload.getClass.getName))
+      }
 
       builder.setPayload(ByteString.copyFrom(serializer.toBinary(payload)))
       builder.setSerializerId(serializer.identifier)
@@ -158,13 +168,13 @@ class MessageSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
   }
 
   private def payload(persistentPayload: PersistentPayload): Any = {
-    val payloadClass = if (persistentPayload.hasPayloadManifest)
-      Some(system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](persistentPayload.getPayloadManifest.toStringUtf8).get) else None
+    val manifest = if (persistentPayload.hasPayloadManifest)
+      persistentPayload.getPayloadManifest.toStringUtf8 else ""
 
-    SerializationExtension(system).deserialize(
+    serialization.deserialize(
       persistentPayload.getPayload.toByteArray,
       persistentPayload.getSerializerId,
-      payloadClass).get
+      manifest).get
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
index 0665f06688..ffda65e83f 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package akka.persistence.serialization
 import java.io._
 import akka.actor._
 import akka.serialization._
+import akka.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 import scala.util.Success
 import scala.util.Failure
 
@@ -33,6 +34,8 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
 
   override val includeManifest: Boolean = false
 
+  private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+
   private lazy val transportInformation: Option[Serialization.Information] = {
     val address = system.provider.getDefaultAddress
     if (address.hasLocalScope) None
@@ -57,14 +60,21 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
 
   private def snapshotToBinary(snapshot: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = {
     def serialize() = {
-      val extension = SerializationExtension(system)
-
-      val snapshotSerializer = extension.findSerializerFor(snapshot)
+      val snapshotSerializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(snapshot)
 
       val headerOut = new ByteArrayOutputStream
       writeInt(headerOut, snapshotSerializer.identifier)
-      if (snapshotSerializer.includeManifest)
-        headerOut.write(snapshot.getClass.getName.getBytes("utf-8"))
+
+      snapshotSerializer match {
+        case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+          val manifest = ser2.manifest(snapshot)
+          if (manifest != "")
+            headerOut.write(manifest.getBytes(UTF_8))
+        case _ ⇒
+          if (snapshotSerializer.includeManifest)
+            headerOut.write(snapshot.getClass.getName.getBytes(UTF_8))
+      }
+
       val headerBytes = headerOut.toByteArray
 
       val out = new ByteArrayOutputStream
@@ -84,8 +94,6 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
   }
 
   private def snapshotFromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte]): AnyRef = {
-    val extension = SerializationExtension(system)
-
     val in = new ByteArrayInputStream(bytes)
     val headerLength = readInt(in)
     val headerBytes = bytes.slice(4, headerLength + 4)
@@ -122,7 +130,7 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
     val oldHeader =
       if (readShort(in) == 0xedac) { // Java Serialization magic value with swapped bytes
         val b = if (SnapshotSerializer.doPatch) patch(headerBytes) else headerBytes
-        extension.deserialize(b, classOf[SnapshotHeader]).toOption
+        serialization.deserialize(b, classOf[SnapshotHeader]).toOption
       } else None
 
     val header = oldHeader.getOrElse {
@@ -134,13 +142,12 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
         else {
           val manifestBytes = Array.ofDim[Byte](remaining)
           headerIn.read(manifestBytes)
-          Some(new String(manifestBytes, "utf-8"))
+          Some(new String(manifestBytes, UTF_8))
         }
       SnapshotHeader(serializerId, manifest)
     }
-    val manifest = header.manifest.map(system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](_).get)
 
-    extension.deserialize[AnyRef](snapshotBytes, header.serializerId, manifest).get
+    serialization.deserialize(snapshotBytes, header.serializerId, header.manifest.getOrElse("")).get
   }
 
   private def writeInt(outputStream: OutputStream, i: Int) =
@@ -205,4 +212,4 @@ object SnapshotSerializer {
       } else false
     } else false
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/snapshot/local/LocalSnapshotStore.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/snapshot/local/LocalSnapshotStore.scala
index 2f88fc4dcd..7b5c8e2792 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/snapshot/local/LocalSnapshotStore.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/snapshot/local/LocalSnapshotStore.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import akka.persistence._
 import akka.persistence.snapshot._
 import akka.persistence.serialization._
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
+import akka.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 
 /**
  * INTERNAL API.
@@ -102,13 +103,13 @@ private[persistence] class LocalSnapshotStore extends SnapshotStore with ActorLo
     try { p(stream) } finally { stream.close() }
 
   private def snapshotFile(metadata: SnapshotMetadata, extension: String = ""): File =
-    new File(snapshotDir, s"snapshot-${URLEncoder.encode(metadata.persistenceId, "UTF-8")}-${metadata.sequenceNr}-${metadata.timestamp}${extension}")
+    new File(snapshotDir, s"snapshot-${URLEncoder.encode(metadata.persistenceId, UTF_8)}-${metadata.sequenceNr}-${metadata.timestamp}${extension}")
 
   private def snapshotMetadata(persistenceId: String, criteria: SnapshotSelectionCriteria): immutable.Seq[SnapshotMetadata] = {
     val files = snapshotDir.listFiles(new SnapshotFilenameFilter(persistenceId))
     if (files eq null) Nil // if the dir was removed
     else files.map(_.getName).collect {
-      case FilenamePattern(pid, snr, tms) ⇒ SnapshotMetadata(URLDecoder.decode(pid, "UTF-8"), snr.toLong, tms.toLong)
+      case FilenamePattern(pid, snr, tms) ⇒ SnapshotMetadata(URLDecoder.decode(pid, UTF_8), snr.toLong, tms.toLong)
     }.filter(md ⇒ criteria.matches(md) && !saving.contains(md)).toVector
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/test/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SerializerSpec.scala b/akka-persistence/src/test/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SerializerSpec.scala
index aecadcc105..36c42869fa 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/test/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SerializerSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/test/scala/akka/persistence/serialization/SerializerSpec.scala
@@ -10,24 +10,34 @@ import akka.actor._
 import akka.persistence._
 import akka.serialization._
 import akka.testkit._
-
 import akka.persistence.AtLeastOnceDelivery.AtLeastOnceDeliverySnapshot
 import akka.persistence.AtLeastOnceDelivery.UnconfirmedDelivery
+import akka.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 import scala.concurrent.Await
 import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
 import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Hex.decodeHex
 
+import SerializerSpecConfigs._
+
 object SerializerSpecConfigs {
   val customSerializers = ConfigFactory.parseString(
     """
       akka.actor {
         serializers {
           my-payload = "akka.persistence.serialization.MyPayloadSerializer"
+          my-payload2 = "akka.persistence.serialization.MyPayload2Serializer"
           my-snapshot = "akka.persistence.serialization.MySnapshotSerializer"
+          my-snapshot2 = "akka.persistence.serialization.MySnapshotSerializer2"
+          old-payload = "akka.persistence.serialization.OldPayloadSerializer"
         }
         serialization-bindings {
           "akka.persistence.serialization.MyPayload" = my-payload
+          "akka.persistence.serialization.MyPayload2" = my-payload2
           "akka.persistence.serialization.MySnapshot" = my-snapshot
+          "akka.persistence.serialization.MySnapshot2" = my-snapshot2
+          # this entry was used when creating the data for the test
+          # "deserialize data when class is removed"
+          #"akka.persistence.serialization.OldPayload" = old-payload
         }
       }
     """)
@@ -53,6 +63,7 @@ object SerializerSpecConfigs {
 
   def config(configs: String*): Config =
     configs.foldLeft(ConfigFactory.empty)((r, c) ⇒ r.withFallback(ConfigFactory.parseString(c)))
+
 }
 
 import SerializerSpecConfigs._
@@ -71,9 +82,19 @@ class SnapshotSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
       deserialized should ===(Snapshot(MySnapshot(".a.")))
     }
 
+    "handle custom snapshot Serialization with string manifest" in {
+      val wrapped = Snapshot(MySnapshot2("a"))
+      val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(wrapped)
+
+      val bytes = serializer.toBinary(wrapped)
+      val deserialized = serializer.fromBinary(bytes, None)
+
+      deserialized should ===(Snapshot(MySnapshot2(".a.")))
+    }
+
     "be able to read snapshot created with akka 2.3.6 and Scala 2.10" in {
       val dataStr = "abc"
-      val snapshot = Snapshot(dataStr.getBytes("utf-8"))
+      val snapshot = Snapshot(dataStr.getBytes(UTF_8))
       val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(snapshot)
 
       // the oldSnapshot was created with Akka 2.3.6 and it is using JavaSerialization
@@ -91,13 +112,13 @@ class SnapshotSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
       val bytes = decodeHex(oldSnapshot.toCharArray)
       val deserialized = serializer.fromBinary(bytes, None).asInstanceOf[Snapshot]
 
-      val deserializedDataStr = new String(deserialized.data.asInstanceOf[Array[Byte]], "utf-8")
+      val deserializedDataStr = new String(deserialized.data.asInstanceOf[Array[Byte]], UTF_8)
       dataStr should ===(deserializedDataStr)
     }
 
     "be able to read snapshot created with akka 2.3.6 and Scala 2.11" in {
       val dataStr = "abc"
-      val snapshot = Snapshot(dataStr.getBytes("utf-8"))
+      val snapshot = Snapshot(dataStr.getBytes(UTF_8))
       val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(snapshot)
 
       // the oldSnapshot was created with Akka 2.3.6 and it is using JavaSerialization
@@ -115,7 +136,7 @@ class SnapshotSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
       val bytes = decodeHex(oldSnapshot.toCharArray)
       val deserialized = serializer.fromBinary(bytes, None).asInstanceOf[Snapshot]
 
-      val deserializedDataStr = new String(deserialized.data.asInstanceOf[Array[Byte]], "utf-8")
+      val deserializedDataStr = new String(deserialized.data.asInstanceOf[Array[Byte]], UTF_8)
       dataStr should ===(deserializedDataStr)
     }
   }
@@ -136,6 +157,7 @@ class MessageSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
         deserialized should ===(persistent.withPayload(MyPayload(".a.")))
       }
     }
+
     "given a PersistentRepr manifest" must {
       "handle custom Persistent message serialization" in {
         val persistent = PersistentRepr(MyPayload("b"), 13, "p1", true, testActor)
@@ -148,6 +170,57 @@ class MessageSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
       }
     }
 
+    "given payload serializer with string manifest" must {
+      "handle serialization" in {
+        val persistent = PersistentRepr(MyPayload2("a", 17), 13, "p1", true, testActor)
+        val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(persistent)
+
+        val bytes = serializer.toBinary(persistent)
+        val deserialized = serializer.fromBinary(bytes, None)
+
+        deserialized should ===(persistent.withPayload(MyPayload2(".a.", 17)))
+      }
+
+      "be able to evolve the data types" in {
+        val oldEvent = MyPayload("a")
+        val serializer1 = serialization.findSerializerFor(oldEvent)
+        val bytes = serializer1.toBinary(oldEvent)
+
+        // now the system is updated to version 2 with new class MyPayload2
+        // and MyPayload2Serializer that handles migration from old MyPayload
+        val serializer2 = serialization.serializerFor(classOf[MyPayload2])
+        val deserialized = serializer2.fromBinary(bytes, Some(oldEvent.getClass))
+
+        deserialized should be(MyPayload2(".a.", 0))
+      }
+
+      "be able to deserialize data when class is removed" in {
+        val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(PersistentRepr("x", 13, "p1", true, testActor))
+
+        // It was created with:
+        // val old = PersistentRepr(OldPayload('A'), 13, "p1", true, testActor)
+        // import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Hex._
+        // println(s"encoded OldPayload: " + String.valueOf(encodeHex(serializer.toBinary(old))))
+        //
+        val oldData =
+          "0a3e08c7da04120d4f6c645061796c6f61642841291a2" +
+            "9616b6b612e70657273697374656e63652e7365726961" +
+            "6c697a6174696f6e2e4f6c645061796c6f6164100d1a0" +
+            "2703120015a45616b6b613a2f2f4d6573736167655365" +
+            "7269616c697a657250657273697374656e63655370656" +
+            "32f73797374656d2f746573744163746f722d31233133" +
+            "3137373931343033"
+
+        // now the system is updated, OldPayload is replaced by MyPayload, and the
+        // OldPayloadSerializer is adjusted to migrate OldPayload
+        val bytes = decodeHex(oldData.toCharArray)
+
+        val deserialized = serializer.fromBinary(bytes, None).asInstanceOf[PersistentRepr]
+
+        deserialized.payload should be(MyPayload("OldPayload(A)"))
+      }
+    }
+
     "given AtLeastOnceDeliverySnapshot" must {
       "handle empty unconfirmed" in {
         val unconfirmed = Vector.empty
@@ -173,7 +246,6 @@ class MessageSerializerPersistenceSpec extends AkkaSpec(customSerializers) {
 
         deserialized should ===(snap)
       }
-
     }
 
   }
@@ -222,7 +294,13 @@ class MessageSerializerRemotingSpec extends AkkaSpec(remote.withFallback(customS
 }
 
 final case class MyPayload(data: String)
+final case class MyPayload2(data: String, n: Int)
 final case class MySnapshot(data: String)
+final case class MySnapshot2(data: String)
+
+// this class was used when creating the data for the test
+// "deserialize data when class is removed"
+//final case class OldPayload(c: Char)
 
 class MyPayloadSerializer extends Serializer {
   val MyPayloadClass = classOf[MyPayload]
@@ -231,16 +309,41 @@ class MyPayloadSerializer extends Serializer {
   def includeManifest: Boolean = true
 
   def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
-    case MyPayload(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes("UTF-8")
+    case MyPayload(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes(UTF_8)
   }
 
   def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = manifest match {
-    case Some(MyPayloadClass) ⇒ MyPayload(s"${new String(bytes, "UTF-8")}.")
+    case Some(MyPayloadClass) ⇒ MyPayload(s"${new String(bytes, UTF_8)}.")
     case Some(c)              ⇒ throw new Exception(s"unexpected manifest ${c}")
     case None                 ⇒ throw new Exception("no manifest")
   }
 }
 
+class MyPayload2Serializer extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
+  val MyPayload2Class = classOf[MyPayload]
+
+  val ManifestV1 = classOf[MyPayload].getName
+  val ManifestV2 = "MyPayload-V2"
+
+  def identifier: Int = 77125
+
+  def manifest(o: AnyRef): String = ManifestV2
+
+  def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
+    case MyPayload2(data, n) ⇒ s".$data:$n".getBytes(UTF_8)
+  }
+
+  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = manifest match {
+    case ManifestV2 ⇒
+      val parts = new String(bytes, UTF_8).split(":")
+      MyPayload2(data = parts(0) + ".", n = parts(1).toInt)
+    case ManifestV1 ⇒
+      MyPayload2(data = s"${new String(bytes, UTF_8)}.", n = 0)
+    case other ⇒
+      throw new Exception(s"unexpected manifest [$other]")
+  }
+}
+
 class MySnapshotSerializer extends Serializer {
   val MySnapshotClass = classOf[MySnapshot]
 
@@ -248,12 +351,55 @@ class MySnapshotSerializer extends Serializer {
   def includeManifest: Boolean = true
 
   def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
-    case MySnapshot(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes("UTF-8")
+    case MySnapshot(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes(UTF_8)
   }
 
   def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = manifest match {
-    case Some(MySnapshotClass) ⇒ MySnapshot(s"${new String(bytes, "UTF-8")}.")
+    case Some(MySnapshotClass) ⇒ MySnapshot(s"${new String(bytes, UTF_8)}.")
     case Some(c)               ⇒ throw new Exception(s"unexpected manifest ${c}")
     case None                  ⇒ throw new Exception("no manifest")
   }
 }
+
+class MySnapshotSerializer2 extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
+  val CurrentManifest = "MySnapshot-V2"
+  val OldManifest = classOf[MySnapshot].getName
+
+  def identifier: Int = 77126
+
+  def manifest(o: AnyRef): String = CurrentManifest
+
+  def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
+    case MySnapshot2(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes(UTF_8)
+  }
+
+  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = manifest match {
+    case CurrentManifest | OldManifest ⇒
+      MySnapshot2(s"${new String(bytes, UTF_8)}.")
+    case other ⇒
+      throw new Exception(s"unexpected manifest [$other]")
+  }
+}
+
+class OldPayloadSerializer extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
+
+  def identifier: Int = 77127
+  val OldPayloadClassName = "akka.persistence.serialization.OldPayload"
+  val MyPayloadClassName = classOf[MyPayload].getName
+
+  def manifest(o: AnyRef): String = o.getClass.getName
+
+  def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
+    case MyPayload(data) ⇒ s".${data}".getBytes(UTF_8)
+    case old if old.getClass.getName == OldPayloadClassName ⇒
+      o.toString.getBytes(UTF_8)
+  }
+
+  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = manifest match {
+    case OldPayloadClassName ⇒
+      MyPayload(new String(bytes, UTF_8))
+    case MyPayloadClassName ⇒ MyPayload(s"${new String(bytes, UTF_8)}.")
+    case other ⇒
+      throw new Exception(s"unexpected manifest [$other]")
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/MessageSerializer.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/MessageSerializer.scala
index 71fee373f6..2f70eed317 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/MessageSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/MessageSerializer.scala
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import akka.remote.WireFormats._
 import com.google.protobuf.ByteString
 import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 /**
  * INTERNAL API
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ private[akka] object MessageSerializer {
     SerializationExtension(system).deserialize(
       messageProtocol.getMessage.toByteArray,
       messageProtocol.getSerializerId,
-      if (messageProtocol.hasMessageManifest) Some(system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](messageProtocol.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8).get) else None).get
+      if (messageProtocol.hasMessageManifest) messageProtocol.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8 else "").get
   }
 
   /**
@@ -35,8 +36,15 @@ private[akka] object MessageSerializer {
     val builder = SerializedMessage.newBuilder
     builder.setMessage(ByteString.copyFrom(serializer.toBinary(message)))
     builder.setSerializerId(serializer.identifier)
-    if (serializer.includeManifest)
-      builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(message.getClass.getName))
+    serializer match {
+      case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+        val manifest = ser2.manifest(message)
+        if (manifest != "")
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(manifest))
+      case _ ⇒
+        if (serializer.includeManifest)
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(message.getClass.getName))
+    }
     builder.build
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remoting.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remoting.scala
index 1f5465d136..0066d05ab9 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remoting.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remoting.scala
@@ -22,12 +22,13 @@ import scala.util.{ Failure, Success }
 import akka.remote.transport.AkkaPduCodec.Message
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
 import akka.dispatch.{ RequiresMessageQueue, UnboundedMessageQueueSemantics }
+import akka.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 
 /**
  * INTERNAL API
  */
 private[remote] object AddressUrlEncoder {
-  def apply(address: Address): String = URLEncoder.encode(address.toString, "utf-8")
+  def apply(address: Address): String = URLEncoder.encode(address.toString, UTF_8)
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/serialization/MessageContainerSerializer.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/serialization/MessageContainerSerializer.scala
index ced74c719e..fca385685a 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/serialization/MessageContainerSerializer.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/serialization/MessageContainerSerializer.scala
@@ -14,12 +14,15 @@ import akka.actor.SelectionPathElement
 import akka.remote.ContainerFormats
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
 import akka.serialization.BaseSerializer
+import akka.serialization.SerializerWithStringManifest
 
 class MessageContainerSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer {
 
   @deprecated("Use constructor with ExtendedActorSystem", "2.4")
   def this() = this(null)
 
+  private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+
   // TODO remove this when deprecated this() is removed
   override val identifier: Int =
     if (system eq null) 6
@@ -37,14 +40,21 @@ class MessageContainerSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSe
   private def serializeSelection(sel: ActorSelectionMessage): Array[Byte] = {
     val builder = ContainerFormats.SelectionEnvelope.newBuilder()
     val message = sel.msg.asInstanceOf[AnyRef]
-    val serializer = SerializationExtension(system).findSerializerFor(message)
+    val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(message)
     builder.
       setEnclosedMessage(ByteString.copyFrom(serializer.toBinary(message))).
       setSerializerId(serializer.identifier).
       setWildcardFanOut(sel.wildcardFanOut)
 
-    if (serializer.includeManifest)
-      builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(message.getClass.getName))
+    serializer match {
+      case ser2: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒
+        val manifest = ser2.manifest(message)
+        if (manifest != "")
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(manifest))
+      case _ ⇒
+        if (serializer.includeManifest)
+          builder.setMessageManifest(ByteString.copyFromUtf8(message.getClass.getName))
+    }
 
     sel.elements.foreach {
       case SelectChildName(name) ⇒
@@ -66,11 +76,11 @@ class MessageContainerSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSe
 
   def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: Option[Class[_]]): AnyRef = {
     val selectionEnvelope = ContainerFormats.SelectionEnvelope.parseFrom(bytes)
-    val msg = SerializationExtension(system).deserialize(
+    val manifest = if (selectionEnvelope.hasMessageManifest) selectionEnvelope.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8 else ""
+    val msg = serialization.deserialize(
       selectionEnvelope.getEnclosedMessage.toByteArray,
       selectionEnvelope.getSerializerId,
-      if (selectionEnvelope.hasMessageManifest)
-        Some(system.dynamicAccess.getClassFor[AnyRef](selectionEnvelope.getMessageManifest.toStringUtf8).get) else None).get
+      manifest).get
 
     import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
     val elements: immutable.Iterable[SelectionPathElement] = selectionEnvelope.getPatternList.asScala.map { x ⇒