diff --git a/src/Lifecycle.js b/src/Lifecycle.js
index 7378e982ef..f32f105889 100644
--- a/src/Lifecycle.js
+++ b/src/Lifecycle.js
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import DMRoomMap from './utils/DMRoomMap';
 import RtsClient from './RtsClient';
 import Modal from './Modal';
 import sdk from './index';
+import ActiveWidgetStore from './stores/ActiveWidgetStore';
 
 /**
  * Called at startup, to attempt to build a logged-in Matrix session. It tries
@@ -436,6 +437,7 @@ async function startMatrixClient() {
     UserActivity.start();
     Presence.start();
     DMRoomMap.makeShared().start();
+    ActiveWidgetStore.start();
 
     await MatrixClientPeg.start();
 
@@ -488,6 +490,7 @@ export function stopMatrixClient() {
     Notifier.stop();
     UserActivity.stop();
     Presence.stop();
+    ActiveWidgetStore.stop();
     if (DMRoomMap.shared()) DMRoomMap.shared().stop();
     const cli = MatrixClientPeg.get();
     if (cli) {
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/AppTile.js b/src/components/views/elements/AppTile.js
index 534a490a32..bd88327b7f 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/AppTile.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/AppTile.js
@@ -160,12 +160,7 @@ export default class AppTile extends React.Component {
 
         // if it's not remaining on screen, get rid of the PersistedElement container
         if (!ActiveWidgetStore.getWidgetPersistence(this.props.id)) {
-            // FIXME: ActiveWidgetStore should probably worry about this?
-            const PersistedElement = sdk.getComponent("elements.PersistedElement");
-            PersistedElement.destroyElement(this._persistKey);
-            ActiveWidgetStore.delWidgetMessaging(this.props.id);
-            ActiveWidgetStore.delWidgetCapabilities(this.props.id);
-            ActiveWidgetStore.delRoomId(this.props.id);
+            ActiveWidgetStore.destroyPersistentWidget();
         }
     }
 
@@ -439,6 +434,9 @@ export default class AppTile extends React.Component {
         console.warn('Revoking permission to load widget - ', this.state.widgetUrl);
         localStorage.removeItem(this.state.widgetPermissionId);
         this.setState({hasPermissionToLoad: false});
+
+        // Force the widget to be non-persistent
+        ActiveWidgetStore.destroyPersistentWidget();
     }
 
     formatAppTileName() {
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/PersistentApp.js b/src/components/views/elements/PersistentApp.js
index bbb3b2a9c8..facf5d1179 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/PersistentApp.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/PersistentApp.js
@@ -27,17 +27,20 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     getInitialState: function() {
         return {
             roomId: RoomViewStore.getRoomId(),
+            persistentWidgetId: ActiveWidgetStore.getPersistentWidgetId(),
         };
     },
 
     componentWillMount: function() {
         this._roomStoreToken = RoomViewStore.addListener(this._onRoomViewStoreUpdate);
+        ActiveWidgetStore.on('update', this._onActiveWidgetStoreUpdate);
     },
 
     componentWillUnmount: function() {
         if (this._roomStoreToken) {
             this._roomStoreToken.remove();
         }
+        ActiveWidgetStore.removeListener('update', this._onActiveWidgetStoreUpdate);
     },
 
     _onRoomViewStoreUpdate: function(payload) {
@@ -47,9 +50,15 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    _onActiveWidgetStoreUpdate: function() {
+        this.setState({
+            persistentWidgetId: ActiveWidgetStore.getPersistentWidgetId(),
+        });
+    },
+
     render: function() {
-        if (ActiveWidgetStore.getPersistentWidgetId()) {
-            const persistentWidgetInRoomId = ActiveWidgetStore.getRoomId(ActiveWidgetStore.getPersistentWidgetId());
+        if (this.state.persistentWidgetId) {
+            const persistentWidgetInRoomId = ActiveWidgetStore.getRoomId(this.state.persistentWidgetId);
             if (this.state.roomId !== persistentWidgetInRoomId) {
                 const persistentWidgetInRoom = MatrixClientPeg.get().getRoom(persistentWidgetInRoomId);
                 // get the widget data
diff --git a/src/stores/ActiveWidgetStore.js b/src/stores/ActiveWidgetStore.js
index 01d5f15601..cc27febaf9 100644
--- a/src/stores/ActiveWidgetStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/ActiveWidgetStore.js
@@ -14,14 +14,20 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
+import EventEmitter from 'events';
+
+import MatrixClientPeg from '../MatrixClientPeg';
+import sdk from '../index';
+
 /**
  * Stores information about the widgets active in the app right now:
  *  * What widget is set to remain always-on-screen, if any
  *    Only one widget may be 'always on screen' at any one time.
  *  * Negotiated capabilities for active apps
  */
-class ActiveWidgetStore {
+class ActiveWidgetStore extends EventEmitter {
     constructor() {
+        super();
         this._persistentWidgetId = null;
 
         // A list of negotiated capabilities for each widget, by ID
@@ -35,6 +41,46 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
 
         // What room ID each widget is associated with (if it's a room widget)
         this._roomIdByWidgetId = {};
+
+        this.onRoomStateEvents = this.onRoomStateEvents.bind(this);
+
+        this.dispatcherRef = null;
+    }
+
+    start() {
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().on('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
+    }
+
+    stop() {
+        if (MatrixClientPeg.get()) {
+            MatrixClientPeg.get().removeListener('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
+        }
+        this._capsByWidgetId = {};
+        this._widgetMessagingByWidgetId = {};
+        this._roomIdByWidgetId = {};
+    }
+
+    onRoomStateEvents(ev, state) {
+        // XXX: This listens for state events in order to remove the active widget.
+        // Everything else relies on views listening for events and calling setters
+        // on this class which is terrible. This store should just listen for events
+        // and keep itself up to date.
+        if (ev.getType() !== 'im.vector.modular.widgets') return;
+
+        if (ev.getStateKey() === this._persistentWidgetId) {
+            this.destroyPersistentWidget();
+        }
+    }
+
+    destroyPersistentWidget() {
+        const toDeleteId = this._persistentWidgetId;
+
+        const PersistedElement = sdk.getComponent("elements.PersistedElement");
+        PersistedElement.destroyElement('widget_' + toDeleteId);
+        this.setWidgetPersistence(toDeleteId, false);
+        this.delWidgetMessaging(toDeleteId);
+        this.delWidgetCapabilities(toDeleteId);
+        this.delRoomId(toDeleteId);
     }
 
     setWidgetPersistence(widgetId, val) {
@@ -43,6 +89,7 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
         } else if (this._persistentWidgetId !== widgetId && val) {
             this._persistentWidgetId = widgetId;
         }
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 
     getWidgetPersistence(widgetId) {
@@ -55,6 +102,7 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
 
     setWidgetCapabilities(widgetId, caps) {
         this._capsByWidgetId[widgetId] = caps;
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 
     widgetHasCapability(widgetId, cap) {
@@ -63,10 +111,12 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
 
     delWidgetCapabilities(widgetId) {
         delete this._capsByWidgetId[widgetId];
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 
     setWidgetMessaging(widgetId, wm) {
         this._widgetMessagingByWidgetId[widgetId] = wm;
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 
     getWidgetMessaging(widgetId) {
@@ -81,6 +131,7 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
                 console.error('Failed to stop listening for widgetMessaging events', e.message);
             }
             delete this._widgetMessagingByWidgetId[widgetId];
+            this.emit('update');
         }
     }
 
@@ -90,10 +141,12 @@ class ActiveWidgetStore {
 
     setRoomId(widgetId, roomId) {
         this._roomIdByWidgetId[widgetId] = roomId;
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 
     delRoomId(widgetId) {
         delete this._roomIdByWidgetId[widgetId];
+        this.emit('update');
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/stores/LifecycleStore.js b/src/stores/LifecycleStore.js
index 0d76f06e72..2ce3be5a33 100644
--- a/src/stores/LifecycleStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/LifecycleStore.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /*
 Copyright 2017 Vector Creations Ltd
+Copyright 2018 New Vector Ltd
 
 Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.