MapQuest surges to No. 1 app after refusing to rename Lake Ontario
Thanks to Lake Ontario, MapQuest is popular all over again
MapQuest, the 30-year-old navigation tool, has seen a surge in downloads after it refused to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" following an executive order by President Donald Trump. As of Tuesday, it became Apple's No. 1 free app. The company's stance, amid an ongoing trade war with Canada, has sparked a wave of support from users.
MapQuest has seen a surge in app downloads after the company said it will not rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, following an executive order President Donald Trump issued last week amid an ongoing trade war with Canada.
- wlonkly
They'll get their 15 minutes, but there's no _there_ there. They're owned by System1, a bottom-of-the-barrel advertising company where 1990s web brands go to die (Metacrawler? Startpage.com?? Dogpile?!?!). Their maps are OpenStreetMaps maps.
People think they have their back (because OSM is showing Lake Ontario), but it's just marketing.
- gnuplustoejam
It still says Ontario because there's no one left at MapQuest that knows how to change it.
- yndoendo
I've dumped Google Maps for OSM over three years ago and have not looked back. Did this as one of my de-Google steps by choosing a Fairphone.
Looking at a FuriLabs FLX1S to start the next phase by switching to a Linux phone.
I've become a sunk cost to Google by not spending anything on their products or services and always use Ad-Block solution in a private session if I must.
- RajT88
I enjoy how Bing Maps (and Bing in general) are so unloved that it's not even part of the debate. (Bing Maps hasn't changed - yet - but probably will eventually, since they caved on the Gulf of Mexico)
- chrononaut
> In 2019, Verizon sold MapQuest to internet advertising company System1.
It's ad companies all the way down.