diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index 90bf3a5a99..78bd34bf7f 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ import RoomViewStore from '../../stores/RoomViewStore';
 import RoomScrollStateStore from '../../stores/RoomScrollStateStore';
 import WidgetEchoStore from '../../stores/WidgetEchoStore';
 import SettingsStore, {SettingLevel} from "../../settings/SettingsStore";
-import WidgetUtils from '../../utils/WidgetUtils';
 import AccessibleButton from "../views/elements/AccessibleButton";
 import RightPanelStore from "../../stores/RightPanelStore";
 import {haveTileForEvent} from "../views/rooms/EventTile";
@@ -406,13 +405,9 @@ export default createReactClass({
         const hideWidgetDrawer = localStorage.getItem(
             room.roomId + "_hide_widget_drawer");
 
-        if (hideWidgetDrawer === "true") {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        const widgets = WidgetEchoStore.getEchoedRoomWidgets(room.roomId, WidgetUtils.getRoomWidgets(room));
-
-        return widgets.length > 0 || WidgetEchoStore.roomHasPendingWidgets(room.roomId, WidgetUtils.getRoomWidgets(room));
+        // This is confusing, but it means to say that we default to the tray being
+        // hidden unless the user clicked to open it.
+        return hideWidgetDrawer === "false";
     },
 
     componentDidMount: function() {
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/AppsDrawer.js b/src/components/views/rooms/AppsDrawer.js
index f7c5e8122f..b64eb33435 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/AppsDrawer.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/AppsDrawer.js
@@ -81,12 +81,14 @@ export default createReactClass({
         const hideWidgetKey = this.props.room.roomId + '_hide_widget_drawer';
         switch (action.action) {
             case 'appsDrawer':
+                // Note: these booleans are awkward because localstorage is fundamentally
+                // string-based. We also do exact equality on the strings later on.
                 if (action.show) {
-                    localStorage.removeItem(hideWidgetKey);
+                    localStorage.setItem(hideWidgetKey, "false");
                 } else {
                     // Store hidden state of widget
                     // Don't show if previously hidden
-                    localStorage.setItem(hideWidgetKey, true);
+                    localStorage.setItem(hideWidgetKey, "true");
                 }
 
                 break;