Apple renames Lake Ontario as Lake America on Maps for US users

MapQuest declines change as Canadian downloads surge

Apple implements Lake Ontario renaming on Maps for US users

Apple renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America on its Maps application for users in the United States, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. The change was made for US-based users, while those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario displayed, according to the BBC, which has contacted Apple for comment.

The move follows Trump’s executive order to change the lake’s name after trade talks between the neighbouring countries collapsed late last month, with Washington imposing new 50% tariffs on $20bn (£14.8bn; C$28bn) worth of Canadian goods. Apple was specifically urged by Trump to rename Lake Ontario on its Maps platform to comply with the executive order, according to US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Rival technology company Google made a similar switch for its users in the US in recent days, leading to backlash on social media. Google said in a blog post that its Maps app is updated to “reflect name changes in official government sources,” meaning users in the US will see Lake America while those in Canada will see Lake Ontario.

Not all map providers have adopted the new name. MapQuest, a free web mapping service, said “we’re not changing it” in a short Facebook post on Friday. The platform rose to the top of the most-downloaded free applications earlier this week on the Canadian Apple App Store, the BBC reported.

Trump’s executive order gives the US Department of the Interior 30 days to update the change with the Geographic Names Information Service, the official database of what places are called in the country. The president has also posted several AI-generated videos on social media, including a clip of him kicking over a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with another that says “Welcome to Lake America.”

Canada has responded to Washington’s levies, saying it will implement “dollar for dollar” counter-tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration had walked away from the trade negotiations, due to what his office has called unacceptable demands. Carney told the Trump administration to “start being serious” and stop trying to be tough before discussions between the sides can restart.

At the lake itself, Canada has installed a new sign with the words “Lake Ontario. Now and Always.” “Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we’ve set up this sign to remind them, it’s Lake Ontario, now and forever,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said.

Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes, sits between the Canadian province and the US state of New York. The names of four of the five Great Lakes — Ontario, Huron, Michigan and Erie — come from indigenous words, while Lake Superior was named after an anglicised French word.

Google made a similar decision in 2025 to re-designate the Gulf of Mexico after Trump declared it would be called the Gulf of America. The company was sued by Mexico over allegedly ignoring the country’s requests not to rename the Gulf for US users. Apple also changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps service for US users.

Apple’s adoption of the name follows the executive order Trump signed in late August renaming the lake in US federal nomenclature, as MSI previously reported; the company’s decision extends that federal designation to a widely used consumer mapping platform for US-based users.