MapQuest Tops U.S. App Store After Rejecting Trump’s ‘Lake America’ Name
MapQuest hit No. 1 on the U.S. App Store after rejecting “Lake America,” driving up to 1.5 million installs and intense engagement in six days.
Summary
MapQuest reached No. 1 across apps and games on the U.S. App Store on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, after rejecting President Trump’s August 27 executive order directing the U.S. geographic naming service to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America during his trade push. Google Maps adopted the name, citing official Geographic Names Information System records, and Apple Maps followed without comment. MapQuest refused on X, retained Gulf of Mexico, and released a tool for jokingly renaming Lake Ontario. Its overall rank rose from No. 128 on August 28 to No. 92 on August 29 and No. 3 on August 31, when it led Navigation, before reaching No. 1. Another Monday snapshot placed it at No. 8.
Sensor Tower estimates 632,000 U.S. downloads since the order. MapQuest says U.S. and Canadian installs exceeded 1.5 million. August 27 through September 1 generated 56% of its year-to-date U.S. downloads, with downloads rising 123% day over day and more than 50 times from the same 2025 period. GM Doug Berger said users are requesting features and reporting bugs, prompting MapQuest’s small team to work around the clock. The former mapping leader is owned by advertising company System1, which bought it from Verizon in 2019 after Verizon acquired MapQuest parent AOL in 2015.
Positives
- No. 1 overall and No. 1 in Navigation marked a dramatic App Store comeback for MapQuest by September 1.
- More than 1.5 million U.S. and Canadian installs followed MapQuest’s refusal to adopt Lake America.
- 56% of MapQuest’s year-to-date U.S. downloads arrived between August 27 and September 1.
- 123% day-over-day growth and a more than 50-fold annual increase demonstrated unusually strong consumer support.
- Feature requests and bug reports show many new users are actively engaging rather than merely installing the app.
Risks & concerns
- Google Maps and Apple Maps adopted Lake America, creating inconsistent lake names across major navigation platforms.
- MapQuest’s small team is working around the clock to handle rapid demand, feature requests and bug reports.
- Monday ranking snapshots placed MapQuest at both No. 8 and No. 3, leaving the precise intraday progression unclear.
- MapQuest previously surrendered mapping leadership to Google Maps, making sustained retention more difficult than a download surge.
