MapQuest refused to rename Lake Ontario to appease one person, but I still can't leave Google Maps and Apple Maps behind for this one reason

Date:
Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:08:36 +0000

Description:
MapQuest is the new mapping darling, topping download lists, but it's missing one key feature that will keep it from being my go-to navigation solution.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Here in the US, we're dealing with a President who capriciously tears down historic buildings, paves over rose gardens, insults allies, and regularly renames map landmarks, locations, and even gulfs and lakes like he's picking out names for his often poorly
used golf clubs. It would be entertaining if it weren't all so incomprehensible. The only thing that's tougher to swallow is when seemingly rational tech giants fall in line and rename these locations right along with him.

After US President Donald Trump renamed one of the five Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, to "Lake America" over an ongoing trade war (that he started) with Canada, Google rather quickly renamed the 193-mile-wide lake on Google Maps . For a time, Apple Maps appeared to be holding out, only to swap out the name on Tuesday. Apple Maps now . Hello, @MapQuest pic.twitter.com/RmPwuY2pQQ September 1, 2026 As I derided the move, some reminded me that Apple and Google derive their map details and names from a centrally managed USGS, or
US Geological Survey. In other words, if the President makes an executive order, the USGS falls into line and changes the map, and those who use it as
a source apparently have no choice but to change it. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Maybe, though, I'd argue that Google, and especially Apple, which changed its CEO on Monday , had an opportunity to hold the line. On the other hand, look south and central on Apple Maps and Google Maps, and you'll quickly spot the "Gulf of America.' Trump changed that one from the Gulf of Mexico because, "'Merica!" One map app stood alone (Image credit: Future) There is, however,
a voice of reason in all this: the upstart online mapping service known as MapQuest. It not only refused to change its map, but also has been quite
vocal and cheeky about it. In one X post, the mapping company said not only were they not renaming it (they similarly have not renamed the Gulf of Mexico), but they were letting users have some fun by applying their own
silly name to the huge body of water that is literally split across its midsection by the border between the US and Canada. You may like Seeing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America on Google Maps? Here's why I logged 250 miles with Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay here's the verdict Apple Maps users rebel against new ads that you can't turn off We're not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure: https://t.co/E2I0Ezd57W(tag us so we can see your work ) pic.twitter.com/x8lIAMt6ab August 27, 2026 MapQuest's defiance has paid dividends. It is, as I write this, the number one freely downloadable app in the App Store. I even downloaded it, a sort of return from me after
abandoning MapQuest almost 20 years ago. The long road from nowhere Like
Apple and Google Maps, MapQuest also gets its mapping data from the USGS, along with other data sources, but MapQuest General Manager Doug Berger told me via email, "We focused on maintaining a name that people are familiar
with. Millions of people have shown us they agree across social media and by installing our app." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

MapQuest's meteoric rise, though, isn't built on a history of, at least recently, market dominance. In fact, I'd argue that, until recently, many consumers had either never heard of it or hadn't used the platform in a very long time. Of course, it wasn't always that way. Classic MapQuest of the
1990s (Image credit: Wayback Machine) Back in the 1990s, MapQuest was not one of many online mapping services; it was THE mapping choice. It was on virtually every top 50 website list, and most of those who've been online for a few decades remember printing out MapQuest routes for all of our trips. Before turn-by-turn navigation on your iPhone, there were pages and pages of turn-by-turn instructions from MapQuest. There was great comfort in sliding into your car for a long or even mid-range trip and knowing you had the MapQuest route on the seat beside you. Berger told me approximately 1 million customers a month still print their directions.

What happened to MapQuest? AOL bought them for over $1 billion in the late 1990s, and then Google Maps arrived in 2005. MapQuest seemed to have no
answer for the Google Maps juggernaut, as the world shifted to screen-based routes on their iPhones and Androids. What to read next No more beating
around the bush Arc Search puts AI at the center of your browser experience ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from OnePlus to Apple The
Pixel Tag is here but Google needs to fix these 5 Find Hub issues

MapQuest is now owned by a smaller company, System1, and its ambitions mostly seem to lie around being the outlier. It's an effective mapping tool, but
with none of the buzz or ubiquity that Google, Apple, and Waze enjoy. Not without this Say what you will about Google and Apple making the lake name switch, but they remain world-class mapping platforms. MapQuest feels not exactly quaint, but a little odd.

Still, I bet I could get used to the clunkier interface, but I still can't stick with MapQuest because it's missing what I consider a critical feature: Transit directions. Google Maps has had them since 2007, while the later-arriving and initially terrible Apple Maps finally added them in 2015. (Image credit: Future) Working in New York City, I rely heavily on the subway to navigate the 13.4-mile-long city. Google Maps and Apple Maps have rich and detailed transit directions filled with options and other details, like which subway exits to use.

When I travel abroad, Google Maps and Apple Maps offer transit directions in virtually any city that has a rail system.

This is not the case with MapQuest

I gave MapQuest a simple test: get me from Penn Station to my midtown office (I also tried the route from my suburban home to my office). It shows
walking, biking, and driving directions, but nothing about the subway
(there's a 1 train or the N, W, R, or Q lines I could take).

A modern competitive map must cover rail and mass transit options, and MapQuest doesn't.

When I asked MapQuest's Berger about the missing feature, he acknowledged it but added, "To date, we've been focused on providing the best directions and navigation experience. We've heard people loud and clear that they want Transit to be added." There is, Berger admitted, no timeline for adding a transit feature.

I hate that we have someone willy-nilly renaming global landmarks because he thinks he can, and I was thrilled to see MapQuest taking a stand, but I
really need transit directions in my map app, and without them, MapQuest
still isn't my navigation solution. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add
us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/mapquest-refused-to-rename-lake-o ntario-to-appease-one-person-but-i-still-cant-leave-google-maps-and-apple-maps -behind-for-this-one-reason


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)