\n<\/p>\n
MapQuest\u2019s unlikely comeback just got even bigger. On Tuesday, the \u201cOG\u201d 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<\/a>. <\/p>\n The surge in new downloads was inspired by MapQuest\u2019s refusal to rename Lake Ontario as \u201cLake America,\u201d after President Trump\u2019s executive order<\/a> directed the U.S. geographic naming service to adopt the new name amid his ongoing trade push.<\/p>\n After the August 27 order, MapQuest announced<\/a>\u00a0on X that it would not change the lake\u2019s name, while both Google Maps<\/a> and, later, Apple Maps<\/a>, capitulated. As a result, MapQuest\u2019s U.S. App Store ranking steadily climbed, as consumers downloaded the app to show their support for the company\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n MapQuest\u2019s rank climbed from No. 128 on August 28 to No. 92 the following day, and then hit No. 3 this Monday, August 31, when it was also No. 1 in the Navigation category<\/a>. By Tuesday of this week, MapQuest had reached the No. 1 spot across both apps and games on the U.S. App Store.<\/p>\n Since the executive order was issued, the app has been downloaded an estimated 632,000 times in the U.S., according to data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower.<\/a> Reached for comment, MapQuest said the app had actually seen over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada combined.<\/p>\n MapQuest also said many of these new users aren\u2019t just casual downloaders; they\u2019re actively engaging with the app.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s been incredible is that people aren\u2019t just installing our app \u2014 they care enough to communicate directly with us \u2014 making feature requests and submitting bug reports on social, and in our app reviews,\u201d MapQuest GM Doug Berger told TechCrunch via email. \u201cOur small team has been working around the clock to build features people are asking for.\u00a0We are aiming for everyone to have a great experience with the app,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The surge has come quickly for the company. More than half of MapQuest\u2019s year-to-date U.S. downloads \u201456% \u2014 have occurred from August 27 through September 1, Sensor Tower\u2019s estimates show. During this time period, the app\u2019s U.S. downloads increased by 123% day-over-day and were up more than 50 times compared to the same period last year, its data indicates.<\/p>\n Part of what made MapQuest\u2019s stance resonate with consumers was its contrast with its much larger Big Tech rivals. <\/p>\n Google last week explained<\/a> its decision to rename the lake, saying that it updates names to reflect changes in official government sources such as the\u00a0Geographic Names Information System<\/a>\u00a0(GNIS) in the U.S. Apple didn\u2019t provide a comment<\/a>, but likely follows the same guidelines.<\/p>\n As a much smaller player, MapQuest has more freedom to take a stand and buck the typical conventions. <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time it\u2019s done so, either. It still calls the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, instead of Gulf of America. It even released a fun online tool that lets you jokingly rename<\/a>\u00a0Lake Ontario to whatever you want it to be, then share the results on social media.<\/p>\n Though it was once the original mapping application, MapQuest ceded its crown to Google Maps over the years. It\u2019s now owned by the internet advertising company\u00a0System1<\/a>, which acquired the property from Verizon in 2019. The telco had bought MapQuest\u2019s initial acquirer, AOL, in 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n