Apple has rebranded Lake Ontario as Lake America on its Apple Maps web version, aligning with President Donald Trump’s executive order. This adjustment by Apple on Tuesday mirrors Alphabet’s decision to rename the lake on Google Maps for U.S. users. The modification will be visible to U.S. users in line with the updated name in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.
While users in Canada will still see Lake Ontario, individuals worldwide will now see both names, a strategy Apple previously employed after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The alteration by Google caused some confusion in Canada over the weekend as certain entities briefly displayed maps using the name Lake America on their websites.
The shift highlights how U.S. tech companies are being entangled in geopolitical conflicts as the Trump administration pushes them to comply with disputed executive orders. Notably, Trump’s order regarding Lake Ontario, one of North America’s Great Lakes, only impacts U.S. federal usage of the lake and does not dictate naming conventions for Canada, international bodies, or other organizations.
Following Trump’s directive, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul swiftly announced they would retain the lake’s centuries-old name. New York shares a border with the lake on the U.S. side, with approximately 52% of the lake’s surface area situated in Canada and the remainder in New York.
Trump’s actions, including the recent renaming of Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, have stirred controversy. Since early 2025, Trump has persistently teased Canada about potentially becoming the 51st U.S. state, a notion dismissed by Canadian officials. The renaming of the Gulf of Mexico earlier in 2025 also prompted adjustments by Google and Apple on their map applications for U.S. users.