MapQuest tops App Store after keeping Lake Ontario name

MapQuest has surged to the top of Apple’s App Store after refusing to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” turning a 30-year-old mapping service into an unlikely focal point in a cross-border dispute.

The Denver-based company said Monday that hundreds of thousands of people downloaded its app after it announced it would keep using the lake’s historical name, despite President Trump’s Aug. 27 executive order directing federal agencies to refer to the smallest of the Great Lakes as “Lake America.” MapQuest said usage of the app is running roughly 50 times its normal rate.

“The surge follows MapQuest’s decision to keep the historical, familiar names for lakes and gulfs on its maps,” the company said in a press release.

MapQuest disclosed its stance on social media the same day Trump signed the order, posting: “We’re not changing it.” The company later added: “We are aware that Lake Ontario is being correctly labeled on our map.” It also launched a tool allowing users to create their own name for the lake, an idea it said followed a similar feature introduced after Trump directed federal agencies to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

“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,” Doug Berger, MapQuest’s general manager, said in a statement. “Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right, by downloading our app.”

As of Tuesday morning, The Guardian confirmed MapQuest held the No. 1 spot on Apple’s App Store. CBS News reported Monday that ChatGPT was the second-most downloaded free app on Apple. TechCrunch, cited by The Guardian, reported that MapQuest had become the fourth most popular app overall in the United States, excluding games, and led Apple’s navigation chart, ahead of Google Maps. In Canada, The Guardian reported, MapQuest was the second-most downloaded app overall by Sunday night.

Google Maps has changed its display for U.S. users. CBS News reported that a search for “Lake Ontario” on Google now directs users to “Lake America.” The Guardian reported that Google shows “Lake America” to U.S. customers while retaining “Lake Ontario” for users elsewhere. Apple Maps continued to display “Lake Ontario” as of Sept. 1, CBS News reported, and The Guardian reported the same remained true Tuesday morning.

The White House did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment on MapQuest’s decision. The Guardian reported that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday he was “confident” Apple Maps would soon show “Lake America” after Trump contacted the company directly.

The renaming order came as the United States and Canada clashed over trade issues. CBS News reported that the countries mutually imposed 50% tariffs on some imports after failing to reach a deal. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday, cited by The Guardian, found 14% of Americans favored renaming the lake and 20% approved of higher tariffs on Canadian goods, while 57% opposed the tariffs.

Opposition has also emerged in Canada and Congress. The Guardian reported that a large sign reading “Lake Ontario – Now and Always” in English and French was erected near Grimsby, Ontario. Ontario Premier Doug Ford told ABC News: “No one’s going to call it Lake of America. It’s been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years. It’s going to continue being Lake Ontario.”

On Monday, Democratic U.S. Reps. Tim Kennedy and Joe Morelle of New York and Debbie Dingell of Michigan introduced the Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act, which seeks to block Trump’s federal order and prevent future changes, The Guardian reported.

MapQuest launched in 1996 and became one of the earliest online mapping services, known for step-by-step driving directions that users often printed before GPS navigation became widespread.