MapQuest is now the No. 1 U.S. app after bucking Trump’s ‘Lake America’ renaming
MapQuest has surged to the top of the U.S. App Store rankings after publicly refusing to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' per a presidential executive order. The company's stance has driven over 600,000 new downloads as users show support for the brand's defiance.
Why it matters
The event illustrates how corporate political stances can trigger massive consumer engagement and influence app store market dynamics.
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. We are working. pic.twitter.com/WeO7OAJ2T7
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