MapQuest’s app surged to No. 1 in Apple’s Navigation category after the company announced it would keep calling Lake Ontario by its original name, breaking from Google Maps and Apple Maps, which both switched to “Lake America” following President Trump’s executive order.
The Numbers
MapQuest saw 184,000 global downloads and 162,000 US downloads during the week of August 24, each more than 10 times the prior week’s total. App usage jumped to roughly 50 times normal levels. By Monday morning, MapQuest ranked No. 1 among navigation apps and No. 4 among all non-gaming apps in the US App Store, and No. 2 overall in Canada.
MapQuest’s Own Response
The company leaned into the moment, releasing an online tool that lets users jokingly rename Lake Ontario to anything they want and share the results on social media.
The Broader Context
Trump’s order directed federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ amid a trade dispute with Canada. Google Maps and Apple Maps both adopted the new name for US users, while MapQuest, along with Canadian officials and the Seneca Nation, has continued using Lake Ontario.
