MapQuest reported a surge in user downloads after the digital mapping service announced it would not follow a White House executive order to rename Lake Ontario. On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the company's mobile application reached the No. 1 position among navigation apps in the U.S. Apple App Store. The company stated that hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the app following its August 27 announcement that the body of water would retain the name Lake Ontario on MapQuest platforms.
The increased interest follows President Trump's August 27 executive order directing federal agencies to update the name of the lake to "Lake America" in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The order was issued amid a trade dispute with Canada, during which both nations imposed 50% tariffs on various imports after trade negotiations collapsed. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stated the change was part of an effort to protect American industries and "put America back on the map."
MapQuest general manager Doug Berger said app usage reached roughly 50 times its normal rate. The company, founded in 1996, also introduced a tool allowing users to generate their own names for the lake. In contrast, Google Maps began displaying "Lake America" for U.S. users on Saturday, August 29. Apple’s web-based maps showed the name "Lake America" by late Tuesday, though some mobile devices continued to show "Lake Ontario." Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday that the president had contacted Apple directly regarding the change.
The scale of public reaction is reflected in the hundreds of thousands of new MapQuest users and a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday, which reported that 14% of Americans favor the renaming. The corporate response highlights a divide in the technology sector; while Google updated its U.S. interface to match federal records, MapQuest has positioned its refusal as a way to provide users with "names they're familiar with." This followed the company's 2025 refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" following a separate executive order.
What happens next depends on legal and legislative challenges. On Monday, August 31, U.S. Representatives Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Joe Morelle (D-NY), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced the "Hands Off Our Great Lakes" act. The bill seeks to block the executive order and prevent future federal name changes to the Great Lakes. The White House has not stated whether private companies like MapQuest face penalties for not adopting the federal naming standard. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada remain in a trade deadlock involving 50% tariffs on both sides.