Beyond the 806
Apple changes Lake Ontario name to 'Lake America' for US users of its Maps, following Trump's order - AP News
Apple Maps relabeled Lake Ontario as "Lake America" for U.S.
The change affects how the lake appears on Apple's Maps app for anyone viewing it from inside the United States. Users outside the country still see "Lake Ontario" on their screens. Apple made the move days after Google did the same thing, both companies falling in line with President Trump's directive.
The lake sits between the state of New York and Canada's Ontario province, and it's not exactly a body of water most folks in Lubbock think about daily. But the ripple effect touches anyone here who pulls up Apple Maps for navigation, trip planning, or just poking around on a map. Open the app and zoom toward the northeast, and that familiar name is already gone.
What it means practically is that two of the biggest digital mapping platforms in the world now show different geography to American users than they show to everyone else on the planet, based on a political directive rather than any geographic or scientific reclassification.
Canada has not agreed to the name change, meaning the same lake now carries two different names depending on which side of the border you're standing on.
Common questions
Why did Apple rename Lake Ontario to Lake America on its maps?
- Apple made the change following a directive from President Trump to rename the lake. The update affects U.S. users of the Apple Maps app. Google made the same change a few days before Apple followed suit. Users outside the United States still see the original name, Lake Ontario.
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