diff --git a/docs/storage/storage.md b/docs/storage/storage.md
index 43b6c5a0b..37eb68a42 100644
--- a/docs/storage/storage.md
+++ b/docs/storage/storage.md
@@ -186,6 +186,16 @@ export class AppComponent {
 
 ### Downloading Files
 
+A convenient pipe exists for simple in page references.
+
+```ts
+@Component({
+  selector: 'app-root',
+  template: `<img [src]="'users/davideast.jpg' | getDownloadURL" />`
+})
+export class AppComponent {}
+```
+
 To download a file you'll need to create a reference and call the `getDownloadURL()` method on an `AngularFireStorageReference`.
 
 ```ts
diff --git a/sample/src/app/storage/storage.component.ts b/sample/src/app/storage/storage.component.ts
index b8e3547ee..2dc184ef1 100644
--- a/sample/src/app/storage/storage.component.ts
+++ b/sample/src/app/storage/storage.component.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ const TRANSPARENT_PNG
   template: `
     <p>
       Storage!
-      <img [src]="downloadUrl$ | async" width="64" height="64"/>
+      <img [src]="downloadUrl$ | async" width="64" height="64" />
+      <br><small>{{ 'google-g.png' | getDownloadURL | json }}</small>
     </p>
   `,
   styles: []
diff --git a/src/storage/pipes/storageUrl.pipe.ts b/src/storage/pipes/storageUrl.pipe.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1aaf2caeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/storage/pipes/storageUrl.pipe.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { AsyncPipe } from '@angular/common';
+import { ChangeDetectorRef, NgModule, OnDestroy, Pipe, PipeTransform } from '@angular/core';
+import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { AngularFireStorage } from '../storage';
+
+/** to be used with in combination with | async */
+@Pipe({
+  name: 'getDownloadURL',
+  pure: false,
+})
+export class GetDownloadURLPipe implements PipeTransform, OnDestroy {
+
+  private asyncPipe: AsyncPipe;
+  private path: string;
+  private downloadUrl$: Observable<any>;
+
+  constructor(private storage: AngularFireStorage, cdr: ChangeDetectorRef) {
+    this.asyncPipe = new AsyncPipe(cdr);
+  }
+
+  transform(path: string) {
+    if (path !== this.path) {
+      this.path = path;
+      this.downloadUrl$ = this.storage.ref(path).getDownloadURL();
+    }
+    return this.asyncPipe.transform(this.downloadUrl$);
+  }
+
+  ngOnDestroy() {
+    this.asyncPipe.ngOnDestroy();
+  }
+
+}
+
+@NgModule({
+  declarations: [ GetDownloadURLPipe ],
+  exports: [ GetDownloadURLPipe ],
+})
+export class GetDownloadURLPipeModule {}
diff --git a/src/storage/public_api.ts b/src/storage/public_api.ts
index a2848a409..460348fa1 100644
--- a/src/storage/public_api.ts
+++ b/src/storage/public_api.ts
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ export * from './storage';
 export * from './task';
 export * from './observable/fromTask';
 export * from './storage.module';
+export * from './pipes/storageUrl.pipe';
diff --git a/src/storage/storage.module.ts b/src/storage/storage.module.ts
index 4169db29f..c6181645f 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage.module.ts
+++ b/src/storage/storage.module.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
+import { GetDownloadURLPipeModule } from './pipes/storageUrl.pipe';
 import { AngularFireStorage } from './storage';
 
 @NgModule({
+  exports: [ GetDownloadURLPipeModule ],
   providers: [ AngularFireStorage ]
 })
 export class AngularFireStorageModule { }
diff --git a/src/storage/storage.spec.ts b/src/storage/storage.spec.ts
index 083d4b645..2f11fde08 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage.spec.ts
+++ b/src/storage/storage.spec.ts
@@ -1,26 +1,45 @@
-import { forkJoin } from 'rxjs';
+import { forkJoin, from } from 'rxjs';
 import { mergeMap, tap } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
 import { AngularFireModule, FIREBASE_APP_NAME, FIREBASE_OPTIONS, FirebaseApp } from '@angular/fire';
 import { AngularFireStorage, AngularFireStorageModule, AngularFireUploadTask, BUCKET } from './public_api';
 import { COMMON_CONFIG } from '../test-config';
-import 'firebase/storage';
 import { rando } from '../firestore/utils.spec';
+import { GetDownloadURLPipe } from './pipes/storageUrl.pipe';
+import { ChangeDetectorRef } from '@angular/core';
+import 'firebase/storage';
+
+if (typeof XMLHttpRequest === 'undefined') {
+  globalThis.XMLHttpRequest = require('xhr2');
+}
+
+const blobOrBuffer = (data: string, options: {}) => {
+  if (typeof Blob === 'undefined') {
+    return Buffer.from(data, 'utf8');
+  } else {
+    return new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], options);
+  }
+};
 
 describe('AngularFireStorage', () => {
   let app: FirebaseApp;
   let afStorage: AngularFireStorage;
+  let cdr: ChangeDetectorRef;
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     TestBed.configureTestingModule({
       imports: [
         AngularFireModule.initializeApp(COMMON_CONFIG, rando()),
-        AngularFireStorageModule
+        AngularFireStorageModule,
+      ],
+      providers: [
+        ChangeDetectorRef
       ]
     });
 
     app = TestBed.inject(FirebaseApp);
     afStorage = TestBed.inject(AngularFireStorage);
+    cdr = TestBed.inject(ChangeDetectorRef);
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -39,101 +58,96 @@ describe('AngularFireStorage', () => {
     expect(afStorage.storage.app).toBeDefined();
   });
 
-  // TODO tests for node?
-  if (typeof Blob !== 'undefined') {
-
-    describe('upload task', () => {
-
-      it('should upload and delete a file', (done) => {
-        const data = { angular: 'fire' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
-        const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
-        const task = ref.put(blob);
-        task.snapshotChanges()
-          .subscribe(
-            snap => {
-              expect(snap).toBeDefined();
-            },
-            done.fail,
-            () => {
-              ref.delete().subscribe(done, done.fail);
-            });
-      });
-
-      it('should upload a file and observe the download url', (done) => {
-        const data = { angular: 'fire' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
-        const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
-        ref.put(blob).then(() => {
-          const url$ = ref.getDownloadURL();
-          url$.subscribe(
-            url => {
-              expect(url).toBeDefined();
-            },
-            done.fail,
-            () => {
-              ref.delete().subscribe(done, done.fail);
-            }
-          );
-        });
-      });
+  describe('upload task', () => {
+
+    it('should upload and delete a file', (done) => {
+      const data = { angular: 'fire' };
+      const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
+      const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
+      const task = ref.put(blob);
+      task.snapshotChanges()
+        .subscribe(
+          snap => {
+            expect(snap).toBeDefined();
+          },
+          done.fail,
+          () => {
+            ref.delete().subscribe(done, done.fail);
+          });
+    });
 
-      it('should resolve the task as a promise', (done) => {
-        const data = { angular: 'promise' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
-        const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
-        const task: AngularFireUploadTask = ref.put(blob);
-        task.then(snap => {
-          expect(snap).toBeDefined();
-          done();
-        }).catch(done.fail);
+    it('should upload a file and observe the download url', (done) => {
+      const data = { angular: 'fire' };
+      const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
+      const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
+      ref.put(blob).then(() => {
+        const url$ = ref.getDownloadURL();
+        url$.subscribe(
+          url => {
+            expect(url).toBeDefined();
+          },
+          done.fail,
+          () => {
+            ref.delete().subscribe(done, done.fail);
+          }
+        );
       });
-
     });
 
-    describe('reference', () => {
+    it('should resolve the task as a promise', (done) => {
+      const data = { angular: 'promise' };
+      const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
+      const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
+      const task: AngularFireUploadTask = ref.put(blob);
+      task.then(snap => {
+        expect(snap).toBeDefined();
+        done();
+      }).catch(done.fail);
+    });
 
-      it('it should upload, download, and delete', (done) => {
-        const data = { angular: 'fire' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
-        const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
-        const task = ref.put(blob);
-        // Wait for the upload
-        forkJoin([task.snapshotChanges()])
-          .pipe(
-            // get the url download
-            mergeMap(() => ref.getDownloadURL()),
-            // assert the URL
-            tap(url => expect(url).toBeDefined()),
-            // Delete the file
-            mergeMap(() => ref.delete())
-          )
-          // finish the test
-          .subscribe(done, done.fail);
-      });
+  });
 
-      it('should upload, get metadata, and delete', (done) => {
-        const data = { angular: 'fire' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
-        const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
-        const task = ref.put(blob, { customMetadata: { blah: 'blah' } });
-        // Wait for the upload
-        forkJoin([task.snapshotChanges()])
-          .pipe(
-            // get the metadata download
-            mergeMap(() => ref.getMetadata()),
-            // assert the URL
-            tap(meta => expect(meta.customMetadata).toEqual({ blah: 'blah' })),
-            // Delete the file
-            mergeMap(() => ref.delete())
-          )
-          // finish the test
-          .subscribe(done, done.fail);
-      });
+  describe('reference', () => {
+
+    it('it should upload, download, and delete', (done) => {
+      const data = { angular: 'fire' };
+      const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
+      const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
+      const task = ref.put(blob);
+      // Wait for the upload
+      forkJoin([task.snapshotChanges()])
+        .pipe(
+          // get the url download
+          mergeMap(() => ref.getDownloadURL()),
+          // assert the URL
+          tap(url => expect(url).toBeDefined()),
+          // Delete the file
+          mergeMap(() => ref.delete())
+        )
+        // finish the test
+        .subscribe(done, done.fail);
+    });
 
+    it('should upload, get metadata, and delete', (done) => {
+      const data = { angular: 'fire' };
+      const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
+      const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
+      const task = ref.put(blob, { customMetadata: { blah: 'blah' } });
+      // Wait for the upload
+      forkJoin([task.snapshotChanges()])
+        .pipe(
+          // get the metadata download
+          mergeMap(() => ref.getMetadata()),
+          // assert the URL
+          tap(meta => expect(meta.customMetadata).toEqual({ blah: 'blah' })),
+          // Delete the file
+          mergeMap(() => ref.delete())
+        )
+        // finish the test
+        .subscribe(done, done.fail);
     });
 
-  }
+  });
 
 });
 
@@ -193,7 +207,7 @@ describe('AngularFireStorage w/options', () => {
 
       it('it should upload, download, and delete', (done) => {
         const data = { angular: 'fire' };
-        const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(data)], { type: 'application/json' });
+        const blob = blobOrBuffer(JSON.stringify(data), { type: 'application/json' });
         const ref = afStorage.ref('af.json');
         const task = ref.put(blob);
         // Wait for the upload