MapQuest is now the No. 1 U.S. app after bucking Trump’s ‘Lake America’ renaming

MapQuest’s improbable comeback conscionable got adjacent bigger. On Tuesday, the “OG” mapping exertion (and 1 that galore thought nary longer existed!) became the No. 1 wide app connected the U.S. App Store, up from No. 8 connected Monday.

The surge successful caller downloads was inspired by MapQuest’s refusal to rename Lake Ontario arsenic “Lake America,” aft President Trump’s executive order directed the U.S. geographic naming work to follow the caller sanction amid his ongoing commercialized push.

After the August 27 order, MapQuest announced on X that it would not alteration the lake’s name, portion some Google Maps and, later, Apple Maps, capitulated. As a result, MapQuest’s U.S. App Store ranking steadily climbed, arsenic consumers downloaded the app to amusement their enactment for the company’s stance.

MapQuest’s fertile climbed from No. 128 connected August 28 to No. 92 the pursuing day, and past deed No. 3 this Monday, August 31, erstwhile it was besides No. 1 successful the Navigation category. By Tuesday of this week, MapQuest had reached the No. 1 spot crossed some apps and games connected the U.S. App Store.

Since the enforcement bid was issued, the app has been downloaded an estimated 632,000 times successful the U.S., according to information from marketplace quality supplier Sensor Tower. Reached for comment, MapQuest said the app had really seen implicit 1.5 cardinal installs crossed the U.S. and Canada combined.

MapQuest besides said galore of these caller users aren’t conscionable casual downloaders; they’re actively engaging with the app.

“What’s been unthinkable is that radical aren’t conscionable installing our app — they attraction capable to pass straight with america — making diagnostic requests and submitting bug reports connected social, and successful our app reviews,” MapQuest GM Doug Berger told TechCrunch via email. “Our tiny squad has been moving astir the timepiece to physique features radical are asking for. We are aiming for everyone to person a large acquisition with the app,” helium said.

The surge has travel rapidly for the company. More than fractional of MapQuest’s year-to-date U.S. downloads —56% — person occurred from August 27 done September 1, Sensor Tower’s estimates show. During this clip period, the app’s U.S. downloads accrued by 123% day-over-day and were up much than 50 times compared to the aforesaid play past year, its information indicates.

Part of what made MapQuest’s stance resonate with consumers was its opposition with its overmuch larger Big Tech rivals.

Google past week explained its determination to rename the lake, saying that it updates names to bespeak changes successful authoritative authorities sources specified arsenic the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) successful the U.S. Apple didn’t supply a comment, but apt follows the aforesaid guidelines.

As a overmuch smaller player, MapQuest has much state to instrumentality a basal and subordinate the emblematic conventions.

ScreenshotImage Credits:MapQuest

This isn’t the archetypal clip it’s done so, either. It inactive calls the Gulf of Mexico by its archetypal name, alternatively of Gulf of America. It adjacent released a amusive online instrumentality that lets you jokingly rename Lake Ontario to immoderate you privation it to be, past stock the results connected societal media.

Though it was erstwhile the archetypal mapping application, MapQuest ceded its crown to Google Maps implicit the years. It’s present owned by the net advertizing company System1, which acquired the spot from Verizon successful 2019. The telco had bought MapQuest’s archetypal acquirer, AOL, successful 2015.