Google on Saturday changed its Maps software to comply with President Donald Trump’s order designating Lake Ontario as Lake America.
In a blog post, Google explained that the renaming — which is already in effect — would only appear to users in the US. “Those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” the company said.
So far, Apple Maps, Microsoft’s Bing Maps and MapQuest have not made the change. CNET has reached out to Microsoft and Apple for comment. Neither company has stated publicly how soon it might change its maps to show Lake America.
It may feel like a familiar situation: It’s the Gulf of America all over again.
Last year, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as part of an executive order. Now, in the middle of a trade war with Canada, he’s going back to the same playbook by issuing an order to rename Lake Ontario.
As happened last year, this is likely to affect how the region is labeled on Apple Maps and Bing Maps in addition to Google’s revision. It took several weeks, but eventually all three ended up labeling the gulf differently based on the change in the Geographic Names Information System, the US government’s national naming standard.
One holdout was MapQuest, which already said it will not change the name of Lake Ontario in its software. In a cheeky post on X, the company said, “We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure,” inviting people to craft their own personalized names. It was accompanied by a screenshot showing “Lake Are We Doing This Again?”
In an email to CNET on Friday, a White House spokesperson did not answer questions about MapQuest’s post or how soon the administration expects tech companies to comply.
“As the President said yesterday, the majority of the great lake’s volume sits in United States territory,” Assistant Press Secretary Allison Schuster said. “Thanks to President Trump’s bold action, its name will now reflect its place in America and her heritage.”
One key difference
As the website Tech Times points out, one big difference between renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario is that the US-Canada border runs through the lake. That means there are additional technology considerations even if the map apps go through with the change. For instance, it could require the name to change on the fly if someone is traveling across the border.
Apple, Google and Microsoft are under no obligation to display the new name to customers in Canada.
Another wrinkle is that it could affect mnemonics. As part of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario is remembered by students as part of the shorthand “HOMES.” As New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed out in her criticisms of Trump’s order, the new acronym could be “SHAME.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted the naming change after introducing a new sign on the Canada side of the lake that reads, “Lake Ontario Now and Always.” The premier compared the Trump order to a Saturday Night Live sketch, telling the ABC News show This Week, “No one’s going to call it Lake of America. It’s been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years. It’s going to continue being Lake Ontario.”
Omar Gallaga has covered technology, digital culture and other topics for outlets including CNET, NPR, WIRED, Texas Monthly, MSNBC, Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and the Austin American-Statesman, where he was a longtime tech reporter, editor and podcaster. He lives in the Texas Hill Country.
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