Apple Maps Renames Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US Users

Apple Maps has relabeled Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users within the United States, a change that went into effect on Wednesday. This update aligns with a directive from President Donald Trump, who ordered the body of water to be renamed as part of an escalating trade dispute with Canada.

Users outside of the U.S. continue to see the name Lake Ontario. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had previously stated that Trump had directly contacted Apple about the name change.

The president's executive order last week, which directed the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming service, marks one of the latest escalations in the trade war that has led to increased tariffs on both sides of the border.

Google Maps had implemented a similar change over the weekend, citing Trump's order and its policy of adhering to names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). A Google statement indicated that users in the U.S. would see “Lake America,” while users in Canada would retain “Lake Ontario,” and those elsewhere would see both names, reflecting the company’s policy for bodies of water with differing international names.

Canada has not adopted the new name. Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated on social media that the lake remains Lake Ontario for Canadians and the rest of the world. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also rejected the renaming, emphasizing the lake’s Indigenous origins. The name Lake Ontario derives from the Huron Indigenous word “oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining waters,” a name that predates both the Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

This is not the first instance of Trump attempting to rename bodies of water that extend beyond U.S. borders. Last year, a directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was followed by updates from both Apple and Google Maps in the U.S.

However, not all map providers have made the change. MapQuest has stated it will not alter the Lake Ontario label and offers users a tool to assign their own names to the lake. Both the original Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico names remain as defaults on its platform. MapQuest, owned by System1, has seen a recent increase in downloads, topping the charts for free apps in both the U.S. and Canada on the Apple App Store.