Technology
MapQuest app reaches No 1 on US Apple chart after defying Trump's Lake Ontario order
The mapping company saw downloads surge after refusing to adopt the federally ordered name 'Lake America.'
The short version
- MapQuest's navigation app surged to the No. 1 spot on the US Apple App Store's navigation chart after the company refused to rename Lake Ontario on its maps.
- President Donald Trump issued an executive order on August 27 directing federal agencies to refer to the body of water as "Lake America" amid a trade dispute with Canada.
- While Google complied with the order for US users, MapQuest maintained the original name and saw its downloads jump to approximately 50 times its typical rate.
Key facts
- MapQuest reached the No. 1 position on the Apple App Store's navigation chart and became the fourth most popular non-gaming app overall in the US.[The Guardian]
- The download surge followed MapQuest's public refusal to comply with an August 27 executive order from President Trump to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America."[The Guardian]
- Google complied with the order by updating its maps to show "Lake America" for US users, while keeping "Lake Ontario" for users in the rest of the world.[The Guardian]
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday indicated that only 14% of Americans supported renaming the lake, and 20% approved of the Trump administration's tariffs on Canadian goods.[The Guardian]
- Three Democratic US representatives introduced the "Hands Off Our Great Lakes" act to block the renaming order and prevent future unilateral federal changes to the lakes' names.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unclear whether Apple will comply with White House pressure to change the lake's name on Apple Maps, though Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expressed confidence that the company would do so.[The Guardian]