Red Right Daily

Truth in Freedom

Apple Resists ‘Lake America’ Map Change

Apple Resists ‘Lake America’ Map Change

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. The order lands right in the middle of a trade war with Canada. Private tech companies now face a choice: follow the White House or stick to their own rules. Google updated its maps over the weekend to show the new name. Apple Maps still shows the old name, even for users inside the United States.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed the President reached out to Apple directly. He told Fox News that “the President has reached out to Apple directly.” Burgum added he is “sure we may be seeing that change coming up soon.” The update only applies to U.S. waters, but the lake sits on the border of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. The order binds the federal government, not private businesses.


Google acted immediately on the new directive. A report from 9to5Mac says Google now displays “Lake America” within the United States. Users in Canada still see “Lake Ontario.” People in other countries see “Lake Ontario (Lake America).” A Google spokesperson told Axios that developers can choose a region to localize the display. The company said the move is “to reflect name changes in official government sources.”

Google explained their stance with a specific quote. “These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.” The change caused instant issues for some Canadian businesses. Websites that pull data from Google Maps started showing the new name automatically. Some provincial government sites now display the label “Lake America” by mistake.

Apple Maps has not made the switch yet. As of Monday afternoon, only the name “Lake Ontario” appeared on their platform. The label even hovered above the water border in Canada. This follows a pattern of slower updates from Apple compared to Google. They previously held off on renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali after similar presidential decrees.


Stephen Crawford, Ontario’s minister of public and business service delivery, pushed back hard. He issued a statement saying, according to Breitbart, “Following recent changes by Google, we’re actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario.” He insisted that “As Ontarians, we will always stand up for our province, our identity and the places that define it.” MapQuest also refused to change the name, posting a screenshot of the lake on social media.

The White House waits for Apple to comply with the President’s request. Burgum told Fox Business’s Mornings With Maria that he knows the President reached out directly. He stated, “I know that the president reached out to Apple directly, so I’m sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America.” The situation remains unresolved as private companies weigh their options against federal orders.

Written by Mark Stevens - September 1, 2026