# MapQuest Hits No. 1 After Refusing 'Lake America' Rename

> MapQuest rocketed to the top of the App Store after refusing to adopt political name changes that Google and Apple accepted.
- Title: MapQuest Hits No. 1 After Refusing 'Lake America' Rename
- Summary: MapQuest rocketed to the top of the App Store after refusing to adopt political name changes that Google and Apple accepted. Smaller tech companies can…
- Keywords: mapquest, apps, tech, business, technology, startups, Hits, Refusing, 'Lake, America', Rename, TechCrunch
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/02/mapquest-is-now-the-no-1-u-s-app-after-bucking-trumps-lake-america-renaming
- Author: Sarah Perez
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mapquest, apps, tech, business, technology, startups
## MapQuest reaches top spot
The legacy navigation app shot to No. 1 across all apps and games on the U.S. App Store, rising rapidly from rank 128 in just a few days.

> became the No. 1 overall app on the U.S. App Store
## Defying the 'Lake America' order
The surge followed MapQuest's public refusal to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' following a presidential executive order.

> MapQuest announced on X that it would not change the lake’s name
## Surge in new downloads
The app saw over 1.5 million downloads across the U.S. and Canada, with over half of its year-to-date downloads occurring in under a week.

> over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada combined.
## Users turn into active fans
New users are actively sending feature requests, submitting bug reports, and leaving reviews as MapQuest's small team works to support them.

> What’s been incredible is that people aren’t just installing our app — they care enough to communicate directly with us
## Contrasting with Big Tech rivals
While Google Maps and Apple Maps updated their applications to match federal databases, MapQuest used its independence to take a stand.

> As a much smaller player, MapQuest has more freedom to take a stand and buck the typical conventions.
## A history of political defiance
MapQuest previously kept the Gulf of Mexico's original name and recently launched an interactive tool letting users custom-rename Lake Ontario.

> It still calls the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, instead of Gulf of America.
## MapQuest's journey to System1
Once the pioneer of web mapping, MapQuest lost its lead to Google and was acquired by System1 in 2019 after passing through AOL and Verizon.
## Key takeaway

Smaller tech companies can leverage agility and principled stances to win consumer favor against corporate juggernauts.