After Trump signed an executive order last week, Apple has labeled Lake Ontario as "Lake America" within its Apple Maps in the United States. This adjustment follows Google's previous practice and adds another layer of friction to the already tense relations between the United States and Canada.
Display the new name only in the United States.
Apple Maps users on the web and mobile devices in the United States will gradually see "Lake America" replacing "Lake Ontario." Canadian users will still see the original name, while users in other countries and regions will see both names simultaneously.
Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes in North America. The difference shown this time indicates that Apple has set different versions of map names for different countries and regions, rather than making a uniform replacement on a global scale.
The adjustment is based on a command from Trump.
On August 27, Trump ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the names of lakes in the U.S. geographic naming system and other federal databases within 30 days. Apple completed this modification within less than a week after the issuance of this order.
The White House stated in the order that this lake is an important resource for the U.S. economy, and therefore it should be officially renamed "Lake America." Last week, when explaining similar adjustments, Google also indicated that its map naming typically follows changes made by official sources such as the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.
Not all map platforms have followed suit.
Not all map services accept this naming convention. MapQuest indicates that the name of Lake Ontario will not be changed on the maps; the more familiar names used by users will continue to be employed. Last year, the company also did not change the Gulf of Mexico to “American Gulf.”
After Apple and Google made their respective adjustments, MapQuest still posted on social media, jokingly suggesting that they would not change their stance. Reports suggest that Trump's orders, along with the implementation by tech platforms, have further escalated the tense atmosphere following the breakdown of US-Canada trade negotiations.
