Apple and Google Update Maps to Rename Lake Ontario as Lake America for US Users
3 sources across 3 countries · Pakistan · Spain · United States
Who reported this
- Dawn
- El Pais
- MS NOW
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Apple and Google have updated their map services to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America for users within the United States. The changes follow an executive order from President Donald Trump, which modified the name in the US Geographic Names Information System. Apple confirmed the change on Tuesday, following a similar move by Alphabet on Saturday. This follows a previous 2025 executive order by Trump that renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which both tech companies also implemented for US users.
Users in Canada will continue to see the name Lake Ontario. For users in the rest of the world, Apple Maps displays Lake Ontario, while Google Maps provides both names. The renaming has occurred amid a trade dispute between the United States and Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have stated they will not change the name of the lake, which is more than 400 years old. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a majority of Americans oppose the renaming and the administration's move to raise taxes on imported Canadian goods.
In response to the updates, MapQuest has seen a surge in downloads, reaching the number one spot in the US App Store. MapQuest CEO Doug Berger stated the company is providing an application that retains familiar names. While center left sources describe the event as tech companies being pulled into geopolitical disputes or bowing to presidential whims, a left leaning source framed the renaming as part of a broader pattern of shameful behavior by the Trump administration.
How each side framed it
- Left
- This outlet framed the renaming as a symbolic gesture of shame within a larger context of human rights concerns.
- Centre-left
- These outlets framed the event as a geopolitical conflict and a sign of tech companies yielding to government pressure.
Sources
- Centre-left Dawn: Apple Maps changes name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US users
- Centre-left El Pais: The battle of the maps: Google and Apple change Lake Ontario to Lake America and their competitor's app spikes
- Left MS NOW: Renaming Lake Ontario gives the Great Lakes a fitting Trump-era mnemonic: ‘SHAME’
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.