MapQuest Defies Trump, Refuses to Change Lake Ontario Name

MapQuest has seen a surge in popularity after refusing to change the name of Lake Ontario in response to President Donald Trump's executive order renaming it Lake America. The app, launched in 1996, saw its highest chart position in its 30-year history as the No. 1 navigation app and No. 8 overall free app in the App Store.

This comes after Google Maps relabeled Lake Ontario as Lake America for U.S. users, but MapQuest chose to keep the original name on their maps. According to Doug Berger, general manager of MapQuest, 'We took the same approach we did with the Gulf of Mexico: be part of the conversation, and give people an app that keeps the names they're familiar with.'

MapQuest saw a significant increase in downloads, with users about 50 times more than usual using the brand's apps. This surge is likely due to the fact that hundreds of thousands of people signaled their support for MapQuest by downloading the app.

The controversy surrounding Lake Ontario's name change is part of a larger issue between the U.S. and Canada, with Trump signing an executive order renaming several geographic features. This move has been met with criticism from many, including Google Maps, which was accused of 'bending the knee' to Trump by changing the name of Lake Ontario.