Apple has joined Google in updating its navigation platform to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America for users located in the United States. The change follows a formal executive order issued by President Donald Trump less than a week prior. US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that the president personally reached out to Apple and urged the company to implement the name change on its navigation platform.
The administrative push to rename the Great Lake stems from the collapse of trade negotiations between the United States and Canada at the end of August. The breakdown occurred after the US government imposed new 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion (€17.3 billion) worth of Canadian goods. In retaliation, Canada has announced plans to implement "dollar-for-dollar" counter-tariffs.
While Apple Maps users in the US will now see the label Lake America, the platform will continue to display the original name, Lake Ontario, for users in Canada. Google implemented a similar change over the weekend, citing updates to the US Geographical Names Information System (GNIS) as the basis for its decision. The company noted that for users outside of the US and Canada, Google Maps will display both names.
The tech giant's decision has faced significant criticism on social media, with many users accusing the company of capitulating to the Trump administration. Legal experts have pointed out that while the US president maintains the authority to dictate how federal agencies refer to geographic features, he lacks the legal power to compel private corporations, foreign governments, or individual US states to adopt the new terminology.
The renaming effort has been met with resistance in Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected the change, asserting that the lake was called Lake Ontario long before the current administration and will continue to be known by that name after it concludes. Canadian officials have also installed a new sign at the lake reading, "Lake Ontario. Now and Always." Meanwhile, President Trump has utilized social media to post AI-generated videos depicting himself replacing a Lake Ontario sign with one reading "Welcome to Lake America."
Other mapping services have opted against the change. MapQuest has refused to comply with the directive, echoing its decision last year to decline a similar request to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
