diff --git a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_android_Network.cpp b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_android_Network.cpp
index 8808d1707e..b7e56de626 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_android_Network.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_android_Network.cpp
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ private:
     JUCE_DECLARE_NON_COPYABLE_WITH_LEAK_DETECTOR (Pimpl)
 };
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, shouldUsePost);
 }
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_curl_Network.cpp b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_curl_Network.cpp
index 27430b6550..127fff9571 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_curl_Network.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_curl_Network.cpp
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ public:
     JUCE_DECLARE_NON_COPYABLE_WITH_LEAK_DETECTOR (Pimpl)
 };
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, shouldUsePost);
 }
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_linux_Network.cpp b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_linux_Network.cpp
index 61e6f3a3f5..0f4d02a4e7 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_linux_Network.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_linux_Network.cpp
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ private:
     JUCE_DECLARE_NON_COPYABLE_WITH_LEAK_DETECTOR (Pimpl)
 };
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, shouldUsePost);
 }
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_mac_Network.mm b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_mac_Network.mm
index 2af45dcc71..deb95d147b 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_mac_Network.mm
+++ b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_mac_Network.mm
@@ -648,12 +648,12 @@ struct BackgroundDownloadTask  : public URL::DownloadTask
 
 HashMap<String, BackgroundDownloadTask*, DefaultHashFunctions, CriticalSection> BackgroundDownloadTask::activeSessions;
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool usePostRequest)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool usePostRequest)
 {
     std::unique_ptr<BackgroundDownloadTask> downloadTask (new BackgroundDownloadTask (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, usePostRequest));
 
     if (downloadTask->initOK() && downloadTask->connect())
-        return downloadTask.release();
+        return downloadTask;
 
     return nullptr;
 }
@@ -663,7 +663,7 @@ void URL::DownloadTask::juce_iosURLSessionNotify (const String& identifier)
     BackgroundDownloadTask::invokeNotify (identifier);
 }
 #else
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool usePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool usePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, usePost);
 }
@@ -930,7 +930,7 @@ private:
     JUCE_DECLARE_NON_COPYABLE_WITH_LEAK_DETECTOR (URLConnectionState)
 };
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, shouldUsePost);
 }
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_win32_Network.cpp b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_win32_Network.cpp
index 34640f8f06..9bea1a9284 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/native/juce_win32_Network.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_core/native/juce_win32_Network.cpp
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@ bool JUCE_CALLTYPE Process::openEmailWithAttachments (const String& targetEmailA
     return mapiSendMail (0, 0, &message, MAPI_DIALOG | MAPI_LOGON_UI, 0) == SUCCESS_SUCCESS;
 }
 
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation, String extraHeaders, DownloadTask::Listener* listener, bool shouldUsePost)
 {
     return URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (*this, targetLocation, extraHeaders, listener, shouldUsePost);
 }
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.cpp b/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.cpp
index 7b532a7a48..b9ef16b0a6 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.cpp
@@ -26,13 +26,13 @@ namespace juce
 struct FallbackDownloadTask  : public URL::DownloadTask,
                                public Thread
 {
-    FallbackDownloadTask (FileOutputStream* outputStreamToUse,
+    FallbackDownloadTask (std::unique_ptr<FileOutputStream> outputStreamToUse,
                           size_t bufferSizeToUse,
-                          WebInputStream* streamToUse,
+                          std::unique_ptr<WebInputStream> streamToUse,
                           URL::DownloadTask::Listener* listenerToUse)
         : Thread ("DownloadTask thread"),
-          fileStream (outputStreamToUse),
-          stream (streamToUse),
+          fileStream (std::move (outputStreamToUse)),
+          stream (std::move (streamToUse)),
           bufferSize (bufferSizeToUse),
           buffer (bufferSize),
           listener (listenerToUse)
@@ -110,22 +110,25 @@ void URL::DownloadTask::Listener::progress (DownloadTask*, int64, int64) {}
 URL::DownloadTask::Listener::~Listener() {}
 
 //==============================================================================
-URL::DownloadTask* URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (const URL& urlToUse,
-                                                                const File& targetFileToUse,
-                                                                const String& extraHeadersToUse,
-                                                                Listener* listenerToUse,
-                                                                bool usePostRequest)
+std::unique_ptr<URL::DownloadTask> URL::DownloadTask::createFallbackDownloader (const URL& urlToUse,
+                                                                                const File& targetFileToUse,
+                                                                                const String& extraHeadersToUse,
+                                                                                Listener* listenerToUse,
+                                                                                bool usePostRequest)
 {
     const size_t bufferSize = 0x8000;
     targetFileToUse.deleteFile();
 
-    if (auto outputStream = std::unique_ptr<FileOutputStream> (targetFileToUse.createOutputStream (bufferSize)))
+    if (auto outputStream = targetFileToUse.createOutputStream (bufferSize))
     {
-        std::unique_ptr<WebInputStream> stream (new WebInputStream (urlToUse, usePostRequest));
+        auto stream = std::make_unique<WebInputStream> (urlToUse, usePostRequest);
         stream->withExtraHeaders (extraHeadersToUse);
 
         if (stream->connect (nullptr))
-            return new FallbackDownloadTask (outputStream.release(), bufferSize, stream.release(), listenerToUse);
+            return std::make_unique<FallbackDownloadTask> (std::move (outputStream),
+                                                           bufferSize,
+                                                           std::move (stream),
+                                                           listenerToUse);
     }
 
     return nullptr;
diff --git a/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.h b/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.h
index 38b4621985..aa671cb381 100644
--- a/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.h
+++ b/modules/juce_core/network/juce_URL.h
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ public:
 
     private:
         friend class URL;
-        static DownloadTask* createFallbackDownloader (const URL&, const File&, const String&, Listener*, bool);
+        static std::unique_ptr<DownloadTask> createFallbackDownloader (const URL&, const File&, const String&, Listener*, bool);
 
     public:
        #if JUCE_IOS
@@ -436,10 +436,10 @@ public:
         using a native OS background network task. Such tasks automatically deal with
         network re-connections and continuing your download while your app is suspended.
     */
-    DownloadTask* downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation,
-                                  String extraHeaders = String(),
-                                  DownloadTask::Listener* listener = nullptr,
-                                  bool usePostCommand = false);
+    std::unique_ptr<DownloadTask> downloadToFile (const File& targetLocation,
+                                                  String extraHeaders = String(),
+                                                  DownloadTask::Listener* listener = nullptr,
+                                                  bool usePostCommand = false);
 
     //==============================================================================
     /** Tries to download the entire contents of this URL into a binary data block.