Layoffs & Tech JobsSep 2, 2026·2 min read

MapQuest is now the No. 1 US app after bucking Trump’s ‘Lake America’ renaming

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19h ago

MapQuest is now the No. 1 US app after bucking Trump’s ‘Lake America’ renaming

Summary

MapQuest’s unlikely comeback just got even bigger. On Tuesday, the “OG” mapping application (and one that many thought no longer existed!) became the No. 1 overall app on the U.S. App Store, up from No. 8 on Monday . The surge in new downloads was inspired by MapQuest’s refusal to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” after President Trump’s executive order directed the U.S. geographic naming service to adopt the new name amid his ongoing trade push. After the August 27 order, MapQuest announced on X that it would not change the lake’s name, while both Google Maps and, later, Apple Maps , capitulated. As a result, MapQuest’s U.S. App Store ranking steadily climbed, as consumers downloaded the app to show their support for the company’s stance. The people have spoken. Since the executive order was issued, the app has been downloaded an estimated 632,000 times in the U.S., according to data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower. The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era?

From the source

The once-dominant mapping app has surged to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store after refusing to adopt Trump’s “Lake America” name, drawing more than half of its 2026 U.S. downloads in just six days.

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