MapQuest Surges to Top of App Store by Defying Lake America Order

Google Maps began showing 'Lake America' for US users on Sunday after the US Geographic Names Information System updated its official database. Canadian users still see 'Lake Ontario.'

• Trump signed an executive order to rename the lake as part of a trade dispute with Canada.
• 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods took effect August 22; Canada responded with matching tariffs.
• Users outside North America will see both names on Google Maps.
• Apple Maps still showed 'Lake Ontario' as of Sunday; the company did not comment.

Why it matters: Google says its policy is to follow official government name sources — in the US, that is GNIS. The same policy led Google to relabel the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America' for US users earlier in Trump's term.

• Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Trump 'can call it whatever he wants' but that the rest of the world will always use Lake Ontario.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted that 'naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario.'

How 67 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether a US executive order and a domestic database change obligate private mapping companies — and other countries — to adopt a new name for a shared international body of water.

What’s next: Apple Maps adopted 'Gulf of America' after a similar Trump order; a Lake America update is possible.

• Trump is threatening additional 50% tariffs on Canadian auto and steel imports.
• Will other major mapping services follow Google and eventually Apple, or will some refuse as MapQuest did?
• Could international bodies or bilateral agreements constrain how the lake is officially labeled outside the US?