Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users of its Maps app in the United States. This decision comes shortly after a directive from President Donald Trump, who ordered a new name for the lake amidst a growing trade dispute with Canada. The move appears to be a response to competitive pressures from Google, which has also made adjustments in its mapping services following the President’s announcement.
Last year, Trump ordered that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America — and both Apple and Google later updated the name on their maps in the US.
“People using Maps in the US will see Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” Google said in a brief statement on Saturday, reiterating that such updates “follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country. This isn’t the first time Trump has moved to rename water spanning beyond US borders.
As of Wednesday morning, Apple Maps displayed “Lake America” for US users looking at the lake that sits between the state of New York and Canada’s Ontario province. Earlier this week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox that Trump had reached out to the company “directly” about the change. MapQuest, in particular, has declared it won’t be changing Lake Ontario’s label — and gave users the option to name the lake “whatever you want” through a separate online tool.
Users outside of the US still saw the Lake Ontario name. Google Maps rolled out the change over the weekend, citing Trump’s order and its already-established practice of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System (or GNIS). But not all map providers have followed suit. Both the Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico names still appear as default on its platform. (AP) SKS
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
