Apple Maps users in the United States will now see the Great Lake on the border of Ontario and New York tagged as “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario.” The updated name is currently rolling out to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users.
The renaming is in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order last week that changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. Trump decided on the name change after the ongoing trade war escalated with both countries announcing additional tariffs.
The U.S. Geographic Names Information System soon updated the database with the new name, and Google Maps adopted it on Monday.
Apple Maps users located in the United States will see the lake listed as Lake America, while Canadians will continue to see the Lake Ontario name. International users will see both names.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in an interview with Axios on Monday that Trump directly asked Apple to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” in the Maps app.
Mapping app MapQuest has so far refused to change the name of Lake Ontario, and its stance has apparently made it popular among anti-Trumpers, as it has leapt to the top of the App Store charts. It is currently the number one free app on the iPhone.
