{
  "id": 4656862,
  "title": "MapQuest’s app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/mapquests-app-surges-to-no-1-in-navigation-after-refusing-to-rename",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-31T14:51:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCrunch",
    "slug": "techcrunch",
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/31/mapquests-app-surges-to-no-1-in-navigation-after-refusing-to-rename-lake-ontario/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MapQuest, the venerable online mapping service, defied President Donald Trump's directive to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. As a result, MapQuest's mobile application experienced a surge in popularity, climbing to the No. 1 position in the Navigation category on the U.S. App Store and garnering millions of new downloads. In Canada, the app reached the No. 2 spot overall. Sensor Tower data revealed an unprecedented 184,000 and 162,000 total global and U.S. app downloads respectively, marking a dramatic increase in usage. MapQuest's General Manager, Doug Berger, expressed pride in the company's decision to maintain the lake's original name, noting that the move resonated with users who downloaded the app in droves. The company also launched a lighthearted tool allowing users to create their own alternative names for Lake Ontario, which was later shared on social media platforms.",
  "summary": "MapQuest is getting an unexpected boost from its decision to defy President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Google Maps will show ’Lake America’ in US, not ’Lake Ontario’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-maps-will-show-lake-america-in-us-not-lake-ontario",
        "published": "2026-08-30T14:06:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Google Maps will show ‘Lake America’ in US, not ‘Lake Ontario’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-maps-will-show-lake-america-in-us-not-lake-ontario-4445021",
        "published": "2026-08-30T14:37:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Slashdot",
        "title": "Google Maps Renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' - But Only for U.S. Users",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-maps-renamed-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-but-only-for-u-s",
        "published": "2026-08-30T18:53:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Sky News Tech",
        "title": "Google renames Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' after Trump order",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/google-renames-lake-ontario-as-lake-america-after-trump-order",
        "published": "2026-08-31T00:07:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Arutz Sheva - Israel National News",
        "title": "Canadian sites display 'Lake America' despite Google’s US-only change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/canadian-sites-display-lake-america-despite-googles-us-only-change",
        "published": "2026-08-31T03:54:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Android Authority",
        "title": "Lake Ontario is now ‘Lake America’ on Google Maps, but not for everyone",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/lake-ontario-is-now-lake-america-on-google-maps-but-not-for-everyone",
        "published": "2026-08-31T07:12:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Digital Trends",
        "title": "Google Maps has another “America” on the map, and Canadians aren’t amused",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/google-maps-has-another-america-on-the-map-and-canadians-arent-amused",
        "published": "2026-08-31T07:15:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "9to5Mac",
        "title": "Apple Maps still shows Lake Ontario as Google Maps changes name",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/apple-maps-still-shows-lake-ontario-as-google-maps-changes-name",
        "published": "2026-08-31T12:20:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}