MapQuest, a pioneer of online mapping services, has experienced a historic resurgence, topping the Apple App Store navigation charts and riding high as one of the top free apps being downloaded in both Canada and, amazingly, the U.S.
“We're not changing it.”
You’ll be forgiven for not knowing the digital brand founded 30 years ago even still existed. But venerable Mapquest is most definitely still around, and it has jumped masterfully on a unique occasion to remind users that it is. The company saw its download rates spike to roughly 50 times normal levels following its decision to ignore a U.S. executive order directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
Ongoing trade tensions with Canada compelled U.S. President Donald Trump to sign the order on August 27th. Google quickly acquiesced by displaying Lake America to its U.S. users, and Apple faced mounting White House pressure to follow suit. But MapQuest publicly took a stand with a simple social media declaration: “We're not changing it.”
The firm's stance paid off rapidly. MapQuest has surpassed tech giants Google Maps and Apple Maps to claim the No. 1 position for downloads in the Navigation category, in the U.S. no less.
At the same time, it’s reached No. 4 among overall free non-gaming apps in the U.S. and No. 2 overall in Canada.
- “We took the same approach we did with the Gulf of Mexico: be part of the conversation, and give people an app that keeps the names they're familiar with. Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right, by downloading our app."
- - Doug Berger, General Manager of MapQuest
What’s more, MapQuest launched an interactive tool allowing individuals to temporarily rename the lake on their own personal displays. That feature was initially introduced in February 2025 during a similar renaming dispute regarding the Gulf of Mexico.
Reading the room
Public opinion polls suggest MapQuest's stance reflects broader consumer sentiment. A Reuters/Ipsos survey revealed that only 14 percent of Americans support renaming Lake Ontario; 57 percent oppose the administration's tariff policies on Canadian goods.
The controversy has drawn sharp pushback from Canadian leadership as well. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a prominent Lake Ontario, Now and Always sign near Grimsby, Ontario, reinforcing that the historic name will remain unchanged north of the border. Simultaneously, Democratic U.S. representatives introduced something called Hands Off Our Great Lakes legislation in Congress to block future federal renaming mandates.
Mapquest had a little extra fun with the whole things by asking on social media for suggestions about alternative names for the lake. Here are some of them:
Lake Obama
Lake Canada
Lake Epstein
Lake Dolly Parton
Lake from State Farm
Lake Covefe
Lake of Mexico
Lake Elbows Up
Lake Lakey McLakeface