MapQuest Rises to Top Amid 'Lake America' Controversy
US President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America has sparked controversy and divided mapping apps. Apple and Google have implemented the name change on their US maps, but MapQuest has refused to comply, opting instead to stick with the centuries-old name.
According to app-ranking data, MapQuest surged to the top of Apple's App Store as a result, becoming the No. 1 free app in the US. The navigation app also climbed to No. 5 among the top overall free Android apps in the US.
The president personally reached out to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum about the matter, and Google began rolling out Lake America for US users on August 29 after the name was changed in the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Apple soon followed suit, but a majority of Americans oppose both the renaming and Trump's new tariffs on Canada, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul quickly rejected the new moniker, saying 'New York won't be calling it that.' Canadian officials have also continued to use Lake Ontario, while Premier Doug Ford unveiled a lakeside sign declaring: 'Lake Ontario: Now and Always.'