diff --git a/src/corelib/tools/qarraydata.h b/src/corelib/tools/qarraydata.h
index c022d9f3021..5ed8d4ba957 100644
--- a/src/corelib/tools/qarraydata.h
+++ b/src/corelib/tools/qarraydata.h
@@ -177,6 +177,13 @@ struct QStaticArrayData
     T data[N];
 };
 
+// Support for returning QArrayDataPointer<T> from functions
+template <class T>
+struct QArrayDataPointerRef
+{
+    QTypedArrayData<T> *ptr;
+};
+
 #define Q_STATIC_ARRAY_DATA_HEADER_INITIALIZER(type, size) { \
     Q_REFCOUNT_INITIALIZE_STATIC, size, 0, 0, \
     (sizeof(QArrayData) + (Q_ALIGNOF(type) - 1)) \
diff --git a/src/corelib/tools/qarraydatapointer.h b/src/corelib/tools/qarraydatapointer.h
index 81eae4cf816..8b5752bc70f 100644
--- a/src/corelib/tools/qarraydatapointer.h
+++ b/src/corelib/tools/qarraydatapointer.h
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ public:
         Q_CHECK_PTR(ptr);
     }
 
+    QArrayDataPointer(QArrayDataPointerRef<T> ref)
+        : d(ref.ptr)
+    {
+    }
+
     QArrayDataPointer &operator=(const QArrayDataPointer &other)
     {
         QArrayDataPointer tmp(other);