These Google Maps Alternatives Still Call the Place “Lake Ontario” (for Now).
Last week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America.” The move was retaliatory for Canada’s withdrawal from contentious trade negotiations , despite the fact that Lake Ontario’s name bears no relation to the Canadian province. Nevertheless, tech companies are now facing the consequences.
Why did Google Maps change the name of Lake Ontario?
If you live in the US, you may have opened Google Maps this weekend and noticed that the app has already changed the name of Lake Ontario. Even if you don’t live in the US, you might have noticed the name change: it just so happens that Google’s navigation app now lists three different versions of the lake’s name. If you’re using the app in the US, you’ll see “Lake America.” If you’re using it in Canada, you’ll see “Lake Ontario.” If you’re using it anywhere else in the world, you’ll see “Lake Ontario (Lake America).” Thanks, Google.
Google acted similarly when Trump “changed” the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” While Google explains in its blog that its policy is to follow the naming conventions of the American Geographic Names System, it could also be argued that the company does not want to conflict with the Trump administration, fearing retribution from future measures that could harm its trillion-dollar business .
Whether you consider it simple bureaucratic procedure or corporate cowardice, Google Maps now refers to the lake by its “new” name. This doesn’t affect the app’s functionality (unless you’re looking for directions to or information about Lake Ontario, perhaps), but if this change irritates you, you have other options: for now, there are several Google Maps alternatives that still refer to it as “Lake Ontario.”
Which mapping applications still refer to this place as Lake Ontario?
At the time of writing, most downloadable navigation apps refer to Lake Ontario by its official/”former” name. Whether this will remain the case within the next week remains to be seen, but for now, the following apps reflect the generally accepted view:
-
Apple Maps
-
MapQuest
-
Organic cards
Technically, Waze still calls this place Lake Ontario on its map, and that’s the name that appears when you search for it. But once you tap on a result, the app changes the name to Lake America. This was to be expected, given that Waze is owned by Google, but the app initially tricked me into believing it had maintained the status quo.
Will other apps change the name of Lake Ontario?
Will all other apps retain the Lake Ontario name in the long term? Like Google, Apple eventually changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, so it’s likely to do the same with the lake. However, MapQuest and Organic Maps still refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its correct name, so it’s likely they’ll retain Lake Ontario on their maps for the foreseeable future.