Key facts
- MapQuest's app reached the No. 1 position in the U.S. App Store's Navigation category.
- The company refused to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, defying a presidential executive order.
- MapQuest saw hundreds of thousands of new downloads and a fiftyfold increase in app usage.
- Google Maps updated its U.S. maps to reflect the name change, while Apple Maps has not yet updated.
- The executive order came amid deteriorating trade talks and new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
MapQuest's mobile application has seen a dramatic surge in downloads and usage, reaching the number one position in the Navigation category on the U.S. App Store. This rise follows the company's public stance against President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. MapQuest announced on Friday that it would not alter the name on its maps, a decision that appears to have resonated with users.
As of Tuesday morning, the app held the No. 1 spot on Apple's App Store's Navigation chart, having previously climbed to the fourth position on the U.S. App Store's Top Charts for apps. In Canada, the app reached second overall on Sunday evening. The company stated it received hundreds of thousands of new downloads since its decision, with app usage increasing fiftyfold above normal levels. Google Maps updated its maps to reflect the name change for U.S. users on Saturday, a move that occurred faster than the official U.S. government maps are being updated.
President Trump had directly asked Apple to rename Lake Ontario on its Maps platform, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expressing confidence that the change would soon be reflected. However, Apple Maps continued to show the body of water as Lake Ontario. Google's map for U.S. users reflects the change, but remains Lake Ontario for users in the rest of the world. MapQuest's general manager, Doug Berger, stated that the company took the same approach as with a previous rebranding of the Gulf of Mexico, giving people an app that keeps the names they are familiar with.
Polls indicate that Trump's efforts to rename the lake found favor with only 14% of Americans, and only 20% approved of higher tariffs imposed on Canadian goods, with 57% opposed. Three Democratic U.S. representatives have introduced legislation called the Hands Off Our Great Lakes act to block the president's federal order and prevent future changes.