MapQuest is experiencing an unexpected revival following Google Maps‘ controversial decision to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America over the weekend, a move that has drawn significant public pushback across the United States and Canada.
According to Google, the company generally follows the Geographic Names Information System when presenting labels on its maps. Google explained that Executive Order 14420 directs the Board on Geographic Names to immediately rename Lake Ontario to Lake America and to update the Geographic Names Information System accordingly. The company said it was simply adhering to its established protocols. Google previously used the same process when it renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in February 2025.
MapQuest Sees a Surprising Comeback
The naming controversy has produced an unlikely beneficiary in MapQuest, the navigation service whose decline over the past two decades has been widely tied to the rise of Google Maps. In social media posts published on Friday, MapQuest shared a cropped map showing Lake Ontario with the caption, “We’re not changing it.” The message drew broad support online, along with plenty of surprise that the service was still operating.
The reaction translated into measurable results. Over the weekend, MapQuest’s Android and iOS downloads climbed 128%, pushing the app to the top of the “maps & navigation apps” categories on both platforms. App usage rose 50 times over its typical levels, according to owner System1.
Apple Maps and the Broader Impact
As of this writing, Apple had not applied the same change to its Maps application, though reports suggest the update could arrive soon, partly due to pressure from the President.
While the renaming represents a relatively minor flashpoint within the larger trade tensions between the United States and Canada, the sheer reach of Google Maps and the widespread corporate reliance on its APIs mean the consequences of the change are likely to persist well after the initial controversy fades.
Separately, Google continues its steady Android release cadence, with Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 now rolling out. The update includes numerous Pixel bug fixes and appears more feature-rich than earlier betas, adding status bar customization for notification and system icons.
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Image: 9to5google.com
