Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' on its US-facing maps following a presidential executive order, mirroring similar actions by Google and drawing criticism from Canadian leaders.
Apple updated its Maps application on Tuesday to display 'Lake America' instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, following an executive order by President Donald Trump. The change applies only to US users, while Canadian users continue to see the traditional name Lake Ontario, and users elsewhere see both names displayed.
The move by Apple followed a similar decision by Google to rename the lake on its US Maps service shortly after Trump's order. Both technology companies have adjusted their platforms to reflect the renaming at the federal level, though the order technically applies only to US government usage and does not legally bind other nations or organizations. This represents the second major geographic renaming the companies have implemented for Trump, after both previously updated their maps to show the 'Gulf of America' instead of the Gulf of Mexico earlier in 2025.
Canadian officials have firmly rejected the renaming. Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, both stated they would not adopt the new name for the lake, which has carried its current designation for over 400 years. Lake Ontario is shared between the two countries, with approximately 52 percent of its surface area located in Canadian territory.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a majority of Americans oppose both Trump's tariff decisions on Canadian imports and the lake renaming order. The actions have sparked broader tensions between the US and Canada, particularly following repeated remarks from Trump about Canada potentially becoming a US state—a suggestion Canadian leaders have dismissed as absurd.