Google and Apple’s Lake Ontario rename sparks surge in alternative map app usage

Google and Apple renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America" after a Trump directive, prompting a wave of criticism and prompting users to explore map services outside the Big Tech sphere. The name change followed the companies’ earlier decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a move that also drew backlash. Privacy worries and the perception that the tech giants manipulate geographic names have pushed interest toward non‑Google map apps, especially as Google Maps still commands roughly 80% of the market, according to most estimates.

Alternatives

MapQuest, now owned by California‑based System1, saw its downloads jump in early September, topping free‑app charts in the U.S. and Canada after the rename. The app offers real‑time traffic, turn‑by‑turn directions and nearby points of interest, but remains limited to North America; the company is studying broader availability, spokesperson Anne Brownlee said. TomTom, the Dutch pioneer of portable GPS navigation, provides a free, ad‑free driver‑focused app with live traffic and hazard alerts, though it lacks walking or cycling routes. HERE WeGo, once Nokia Maps and now backed by a German car‑maker consortium including Audi, BMW and Mercedes‑Benz, delivers multi‑mode routing, offline map downloads and a privacy‑friendly model that relies on licensing deals rather than data harvesting. Other options include Estonia’s fully free Organic Maps built on OpenStreetMap, Netherlands‑based OSMand (subscription for advanced features), Dutch Magic Earth (no data collection), Slovakia’s Sygic (free offline maps, paid upgrades), Czech Mapy.com (detailed hiking routes), Citymapper (covers 430 cities with public‑transport options) and Google‑owned Waze, which crowdsources traffic info.

Context

The episode highlights growing user unease about how large platforms handle location data and political naming, prompting a shift toward services that promise stronger privacy protections and less corporate control.