Apple Maps has started replacing “Lake Ontario” with “Lake America” for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s executive order changing the lake’s name for U.S. federal use.
The change began appearing Tuesday, September 1, although the rollout appears to be gradual and some Apple Maps users may still see the traditional name. In Canada, Apple Maps continues to display Lake Ontario, while users elsewhere may see both names.
The update follows Trump’s August 27 executive order directing federal agencies to use “Lake America” in U.S. geographic naming systems. The order does not change Canada’s official name for the lake or establish a new internationally recognized name.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump personally contacted Apple about changing the name on its mapping service. Google Maps had already begun showing Lake America to users in the United States, while retaining Lake Ontario for users in Canada.
The dispute has become another flashpoint in increasingly tense U.S.-Canada relations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario officials and Indigenous leaders have rejected the new U.S. designation and defended the historic Lake Ontario name.
Apple’s decision also contrasts with MapQuest, which publicly said it would continue using Lake Ontario. That stance helped propel MapQuest to the top of Apple’s U.S. navigation-app rankings amid widespread attention to the naming controversy.
The Apple Maps update comes only days after Trump posted a video showing himself crossing out “Lake Ontario” on a map and replacing it with “Lake America,” turning what initially appeared to many as a social-media gesture into a change now reflected across major U.S. mapping platforms.
Sources: Reuters, AP, 9to5Mac, The Wall Street Journal
By NJ RADAR Team