Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario to Lake America, following Google

Apple Maps has officially adopted the name 'Lake America' for Lake Ontario, according to Bloomberg. The update means that users in the United States and elsewhere will now see the new label when navigating the Great Lake, following a similar change made by Google. The renaming stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump during an ongoing trade dispute with Canada.

Bloomberg notes that the Canadian version of Apple Maps still shows 'Lake Ontario' when panning over the region, while the international versions of the app display both the old and new names. Google made the switch shortly after the new name was entered into the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Apple, by contrast, waited longer before implementing the change.

The two companies took similar action last year when they renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America after another executive order from Trump. MapQuest, however, has declined to rename either body of water, a move that has likely helped it climb to the top of Apple's App Store. The differing approaches show how app makers are responding to government directives in different ways.