Apple Changes ‘Lake Ontario’ to ‘Lake America’ After Pressure from Trump
Apple Maps has begun labeling Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in the United States, mirroring a change made by google a few days earlier. This shift follows an executive order from President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to use the name “Lake America.” Despite the orders, Apple has not officially commented, but a review of a screenshot shows the new label on Apple Maps. Google also changed the name for U.S. users but continues to display “Lake Ontario” outside the U.S. and Canada. Canadian officials and the Seneca Nation criticized the renaming, viewing it as a slight to the indigenous name “Ontario.” Other map providers like MapQuest responded humorously,refusing to adopt the new name. The changes are part of a broader pattern of naming alterations influenced by political directives.
Apple Maps is now labeling Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users, matching a change Google made days earlier.
Axios reviewed a screenshot Tuesday afternoon showing the new name on Apple’s app.
Apple did not immediately comment.
The shift follows an executive order from President Donald Trump directing the federal government to use “Lake America.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump “reached out to Apple directly” and expected the label to appear soon, the Associated Press reported before the Apple update was visible.
As of Monday afternoon, AP still saw only “Lake Ontario” on Apple Maps. By Tuesday, the Axios check showed the new wording.
Google had already switched U.S. users to “Lake America” over the weekend.
Google said it follows the U.S. Geographic Names Information System when official American sources change a name.
Canadians with location settings in Canada still see “Lake Ontario” on Google.
Users outside both countries have seen both names on Google’s product.
Canadian officials said they will not call it “Lake America.”
This is the same pattern Apple used after earlier Trump orders on the Gulf of Mexico, now “Gulf of America” in U.S. products, and on Denali, restored as Mount McKinley.
Seneca Nation leaders have called the rebranding a slight to the indigenous name that became “Ontario,” the AP reported.
A third digital map provider, MapQuest, responded to the executive order by posting a picture on social media platform X labeling the body of water, “Lake Are We Doing This Again?”
We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure: https://t.co/E2I0Ezd57W
(tag us so we can see your work 🙂) pic.twitter.com/x8lIAMt6ab
— MapQuest (@MapQuest) August 27, 2026
“We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario,” it declared in the post. “Name it whatever you want at your leisure.”
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