diff --git a/akka-docs/src/main/paradox/project/migration-guide-2.5.x-2.6.x.md b/akka-docs/src/main/paradox/project/migration-guide-2.5.x-2.6.x.md
index 342a8d6f6f..e0aa88350c 100644
--- a/akka-docs/src/main/paradox/project/migration-guide-2.5.x-2.6.x.md
+++ b/akka-docs/src/main/paradox/project/migration-guide-2.5.x-2.6.x.md
@@ -246,3 +246,7 @@ Akka Typed APIs are still marked as [may change](../common/may-change.md) and th
 * New abstract class `EventSourcedEntityWithEnforcedReplies` in Java API for Akka Cluster Sharding Typed and corresponding factory method `Entity.ofEventSourcedEntityWithEnforcedReplies` to ease the creation of `EventSourcedBehavior` with enforced replies.
 * New method `EventSourcedEntity.withEnforcedReplies` added to Scala API to ease the creation of `EventSourcedBehavior` with enforced replies.
 * `Routers.pool` now take a factory function rather than a `Behavior` to protect against accidentally sharing same behavior instance and state across routees.
+
+### Akka Typed Stream API changes
+
+* `ActorSoruce.actorRef` relying on `PartialFunction` has been replaced in the Java API with a variant more suitable to be called by Java.
diff --git a/akka-stream-typed/src/main/scala/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSource.scala b/akka-stream-typed/src/main/scala/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSource.scala
index fa0cc33e13..95b4cd856f 100644
--- a/akka-stream-typed/src/main/scala/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSource.scala
+++ b/akka-stream-typed/src/main/scala/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSource.scala
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ package akka.stream.typed.javadsl
 import java.util.function.Predicate
 
 import akka.actor.typed._
+import akka.japi.JavaPartialFunction
 import akka.stream.javadsl._
 import akka.stream.{ CompletionStrategy, OverflowStrategy }
 
@@ -49,13 +50,19 @@ object ActorSource {
    */
   def actorRef[T](
       completionMatcher: Predicate[T],
-      failureMatcher: PartialFunction[T, Throwable],
+      failureMatcher: akka.japi.function.Function[T, java.util.Optional[Throwable]],
       bufferSize: Int,
       overflowStrategy: OverflowStrategy): Source[T, ActorRef[T]] = {
     akka.stream.typed.scaladsl.ActorSource
       .actorRef(
         { case m if completionMatcher.test(m) => }: PartialFunction[T, Unit],
-        failureMatcher,
+        new JavaPartialFunction[T, Throwable] {
+          override def apply(x: T, isCheck: Boolean): Throwable = {
+            val result = failureMatcher(x)
+            if (!result.isPresent) throw JavaPartialFunction.noMatch()
+            else result.get()
+          }
+        },
         bufferSize,
         overflowStrategy)
       .asJava
@@ -78,13 +85,25 @@ object ActorSource {
   def actorRefWithAck[T, Ack](
       ackTo: ActorRef[Ack],
       ackMessage: Ack,
-      completionMatcher: PartialFunction[T, CompletionStrategy],
-      failureMatcher: PartialFunction[T, Throwable]): Source[T, ActorRef[T]] =
+      completionMatcher: akka.japi.function.Function[T, java.util.Optional[CompletionStrategy]],
+      failureMatcher: akka.japi.function.Function[T, java.util.Optional[Throwable]]): Source[T, ActorRef[T]] =
     akka.stream.typed.scaladsl.ActorSource
       .actorRefWithAck[T, Ack](
         ackTo,
         ackMessage,
-        completionMatcher.asInstanceOf[PartialFunction[Any, CompletionStrategy]],
-        failureMatcher.asInstanceOf[PartialFunction[Any, Throwable]])
+        new JavaPartialFunction[T, CompletionStrategy] {
+          override def apply(x: T, isCheck: Boolean): CompletionStrategy = {
+            val result = completionMatcher(x)
+            if (!result.isPresent) throw JavaPartialFunction.noMatch()
+            else result.get()
+          }
+        },
+        new JavaPartialFunction[T, Throwable] {
+          override def apply(x: T, isCheck: Boolean): Throwable = {
+            val result = failureMatcher(x)
+            if (!result.isPresent) throw JavaPartialFunction.noMatch()
+            else result.get()
+          }
+        })
       .asJava
 }
diff --git a/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSourceSinkCompileTest.java b/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSourceSinkCompileTest.java
index cec92321d2..e1d7138940 100644
--- a/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSourceSinkCompileTest.java
+++ b/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/akka/stream/typed/javadsl/ActorSourceSinkCompileTest.java
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import akka.stream.OverflowStrategy;
 import akka.stream.javadsl.Sink;
 import akka.stream.javadsl.Source;
 
+import java.util.Optional;
+
 public class ActorSourceSinkCompileTest {
 
   interface Protocol {}
@@ -55,32 +57,16 @@ public class ActorSourceSinkCompileTest {
 
   {
     ActorSource.actorRef(
-            (m) -> m == "complete",
-            new JavaPartialFunction<String, Throwable>() {
-              @Override
-              public Throwable apply(String x, boolean isCheck) throws Exception {
-                throw noMatch();
-              }
-            },
-            10,
-            OverflowStrategy.dropBuffer())
+            (m) -> m == "complete", (m) -> Optional.empty(), 10, OverflowStrategy.dropBuffer())
         .to(Sink.seq());
   }
 
   {
-    final JavaPartialFunction<Protocol, Throwable> failureMatcher =
-        new JavaPartialFunction<Protocol, Throwable>() {
-          @Override
-          public Throwable apply(Protocol p, boolean isCheck) throws Exception {
-            if (p instanceof Failure) {
-              return ((Failure) p).ex;
-            } else {
-              throw noMatch();
-            }
-          }
-        };
-
-    ActorSource.actorRef((m) -> false, failureMatcher, 10, OverflowStrategy.dropBuffer())
+    ActorSource.actorRef(
+            (m) -> false,
+            (m) -> (m instanceof Failure) ? Optional.of(((Failure) m).ex) : Optional.empty(),
+            10,
+            OverflowStrategy.dropBuffer())
         .to(Sink.seq());
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/docs/akka/stream/typed/ActorSourceExample.java b/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/docs/akka/stream/typed/ActorSourceExample.java
index d099faabab..e2c2a91d61 100644
--- a/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/docs/akka/stream/typed/ActorSourceExample.java
+++ b/akka-stream-typed/src/test/java/docs/akka/stream/typed/ActorSourceExample.java
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import akka.stream.OverflowStrategy;
 import akka.stream.javadsl.Sink;
 import akka.stream.javadsl.Source;
 import akka.stream.typed.javadsl.ActorSource;
+
+import java.util.Optional;
 // #actor-source-ref
 
 public class ActorSourceExample {
@@ -44,20 +46,12 @@ public class ActorSourceExample {
   {
     // #actor-source-ref
 
-    final JavaPartialFunction<Protocol, Throwable> failureMatcher =
-        new JavaPartialFunction<Protocol, Throwable>() {
-          public Throwable apply(Protocol p, boolean isCheck) {
-            if (p instanceof Fail) {
-              return ((Fail) p).ex;
-            } else {
-              throw noMatch();
-            }
-          }
-        };
-
     final Source<Protocol, ActorRef<Protocol>> source =
         ActorSource.actorRef(
-            (m) -> m instanceof Complete, failureMatcher, 8, OverflowStrategy.fail());
+            (m) -> m instanceof Complete,
+            (m) -> (m instanceof Fail) ? Optional.of(((Fail) m).ex) : Optional.empty(),
+            8,
+            OverflowStrategy.fail());
 
     final ActorRef<Protocol> ref =
         source