Google Maps updates Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US users

Google announced Saturday that it will begin displaying "Lake America" on Maps for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario. The lake sits between Ontario and New York. The change began rolling out after the S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) formally updated the lake's name, according to Google's statement.

The company said users in Canada will continue to see "Lake Ontario," while users outside the S. and Canada will see both names, with "Lake America" appearing in parentheses. Google cited its "long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country" in explaining the update, which it said was "starting to roll out now."

Trump reaches out to Apple

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said President Trump has directly contacted Apple about renaming Lake Ontario on its Maps platform. "The president reached out to Apple directly, so I'm sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America," Burgum said in an interview on Fox Business'Mornings with Maria programme on Monday. Apple had not immediately commented on the remarks.

The executive order, signed Thursday, directs Burgum to take actions including updating the GNIS, the official S. government map database. In the order, Trump wrote that "the Lake will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America's future and the global economy," and that "in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation's economy and its people, I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America."

Reactions in the S. and Canada

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung celebrated the Google Maps update on X, writing, "It's official! LAKE AMERICA on Google Maps." New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, however, said after Trump signed the order that "New York won't be calling it that."

In Canada, the renaming has drawn pushback. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign reading "Lake Ontario Now and Always." Hydro One, a Toronto-based utility, apologized after its map displayed the Lake America name due to a third-party service. "We are working with our vendor to correct the issue as quickly as possible and restore the proper geographic reference," the company said, adding, "We regret the error and apologise for any confusion it has caused." Hydro Ottawa and the Liquor Board of Ontario also briefly displayed the name.

MapQuest declines to rename, sees surge in downloads

MapQuest announced it would not rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, despite Trump's executive order. The company's app downloads surged, reaching No. 4 on the S. iOS App Store's Top Charts and No. 1 in the Navigation category, as of Monday morning. It also reached No. 2 overall in Canada's App Store. MapQuest said it received "hundreds of thousands" of new downloads and saw usage climb 50 times above normal levels. Sensor Tower data confirmed the surge, showing 184,000 global and 162,000 S. downloads during the week beginning August 24, with S. daily downloads up 128% day-over-day from August 26 to August 30.

MapQuest also released an online tool that lets users rename Lake Ontario to whatever they want and share the results on social media, following a similar tool it offered after the Gulf of Mexico was renamed the Gulf of America.

Context: Trade tensions

The name change comes amid escalating trade tensions between the S. and Canada. S. tariffs of 50% on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods took effect Aug. 22 after trade talks collapsed, according to reports. Canada retaliated with tariffs on roughly $20 billion in S. imports set to take effect Sept. 8, per Reuters. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars in S. goods.