Hey Siri, what’s that big lake in Canada called now? After Google, Apple bows to Trump’s ‘Lake America’ decree

A lighthouse along the shore of Lake Ontario in St. Catharines, Canada. Apple has joined Google in labelling the historic Great Lake as ‘Lake America’ on maps for US users following a controversial order from US President Donald Trump. — Getty Images pic via AFP

By Malay Mail

First Published: Wednesday, 02 Sep 2026 11:18 AM MYT

WASHINGTON, Sept 2 — Tech giant Apple has updated Apple Maps to display Lake Ontario as "Lake America" for US users, complying with an executive order by US President Donald Trump.

The update follows a similar switch by Google Maps days earlier, after the body of water was officially renamed in the US Geographic Names Information System.

However, Apple is straddling the border: Canadian users will still see "Lake Ontario", while users across the rest of the world will see both names. Apple used the same dual-naming playbook after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in January.

The two tech giants’ compliance highlights how Silicon Valley is being dragged into geopolitical spats, as the White House pushes companies to align with directives rejected by international allies.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have both flatly rejected the decree, refusing to abandon a name that is more than 400 years old.

Over half the lake's surface area belongs to Canada, with the remainder bordering New York state.

Trump’s order legally applies only to US federal usage, and recent polls show a majority of Americans oppose the renaming.