Apple and Google Lake Ontario backlash grows as MapQuest tops downloads

The controversy over renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" has gained momentum, with MapQuest leading the download charts in response to the situation. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename the lake, which sits between Ontario, Canada, and the US. Apple and Google, the dominant smartphone operating system providers, control access to mapping apps for billions of users.

Google promptly renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for users in the US, while retaining the original name for Canadian users. Apple gradually implemented the change for its users as well, with some noticing the new name when interacting with the lake in the app. MapQuest, however, remained steadfast in its refusal to alter the name, stating that they were not changing the name of Lake Ontario.

The company's stance was reflected in a post on social media platform X, which garnered significant attention and support from users. While MapQuest's sudden popularity may be transient, Google's decision to rename the lake has sparked mixed reactions, with supporters celebrating the move while critics question the company's alignment with Trump's eccentric decisions.