Galaxy s8 update to pie breaks widget

My S8 just updated to Android 9 Pie from Oreo and now the home screen widget doesn't work right.

If I unlock the phone and try to use the widget to start whatever podcast I was listening to last, it's non-responsive. The button do nothing.

However I can yeah the widget to bring the app up, and the app works.

Once I start it playing, the widget starts working. But if I stop it and lock the phone and leave it for a while, the widget stops working again.

Also, it stops working if I close the main app from the currently running apps list while the audio is stopped.

But if I close it while audio is playing, it behaves fine and the widget keeps working.

This was never a problem under Oreo, so I'm guessing it had something to do with how Pie handles background apps or something?

Any suggestions?