MapQuest's app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario | TechCrunch
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MapQuest is getting an unexpected boost from its decision to defy President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario.

MapQuest stood up to President Donald Trump, and now its app is reaping the rewards.

The “OG of online mapping,” as the company calls itself, announced on Thursday that it would not change the name of Lake Ontario on its maps to Lake America, despite Trump’s executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming service. As a result, MapQuest’s mobile app downloads soared, sending the iOS app to the No. 4 position on the U.S. App Store’s Top Charts for apps (not including games) as of Monday morning on the U.S. east coast.

MapQuest also reached the No. 8 position overall in the U.S. App Store across both apps and games, and it became the No. 1 Navigation app in the United States.

  • EliteCloneMike@lemmy.zip
    142·
    11 hours ago

    Great! Hope people more move away from Google Maps. OSM would be even better, but MapQuest is a good step away from the Monopoly of Google.

    Edit: Just realized that in Google Maps the acronym for the Great Lakes is no longer “HOMES” but could now be known as “SHAME”.

    • AmyAye@nord.pubEnglish
      191·
      12 hours ago

      Mapquest lets you have a Rainbow Unicorn icon. Sorry OSM, MapQuest wins.

    • WesternInfidels@feddit.onlineEnglish
      25·
      13 hours ago

      If you’ve got a favorite replacement for the Google Maps mobile app, this would be a great place to tell people about it. I believe the world of Open Street Map (OSM) is likely to be a little intimidating, a little daunting, for the masses, so an easy starting point might be especially helpful.

      • TheTechnician27@lemmy.worldEnglish
        39·
        9 hours ago

        Copy-pasting my own comment:

        For using OSM on Android (edit: and iOS):

        • I use OsmAnd, which is free on F-Droid. It’s very feature-rich, and I can customize it pretty much exactly how I like. There’s a good tutorial for beginners here.
        • However, some people prefer the simplicity of the app CoMaps, which is available for Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux (Flathub). It’s a fork of Organic Maps that arose over disagreements with Organic’s governance (see: open letter).
        • There are also specialty apps like Alpi Maps for more specialized uses of OSM (in Alpi Maps’ case, hiking).

        For contributing to OSM on Android:

        • I use Vespucci for more complex edits on Android, so things like adding features. (The rough iOS equivalent is Go Map!!.)
        • I use StreetComplete for a more trimmed-down, gamified experience. It isn’t a power user experience like Vespucci, but it’s often really useful if you’re just on the go and want to make small but meaningful contributions.

        The easiest way I’ve found to contribute local information is the iD editor on desktop; it’s the one that pops up if you click ‘Edit’ on OpenStreetMap.org. It strikes a good balance between user-friendliness and power user stuff. For full-on power users, JOSM is a good option. And the easiest way to contribute in a limited way is StreetComplete, which will ask you questions about existing features (like “does this traffic signal have a walk button for pedestrians?”)

        The OpenStreetMap Wiki is a great general resource for using and contributing.

        • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
          10·
          10 hours ago

          Another benefit for casual users is that StreetComplete doesn’t require you to worry about the details of formatting your submissions, it simply asks you if this thing is here, or what are the hours of this business, or if there is a sidewalk or what is the address number on this building and things like that, then it submits a correctly formatted response to the OSM database.

        • Not a newt@piefed.caEnglish
          2·
          9 hours ago

          Those are great choices for navigation. What options are there for map/location based business search?

          • TheTechnician27@lemmy.worldEnglish
            4·
            8 hours ago

            I don’t think I understand the question. OsmAnd and CoMaps are both meant to show businesses, and how much information those businesses have is, for most cases, dependent upon what’s in the underlying OSM database, not what OsmAnd or CoMaps are able to show.

            On OsmAnd, for example, I’m able to go to Configure Map > POI Overlay and select whatever type of POI I’m looking for. In CoMaps (mobile), I can select the magnifying glass and then go to Categories.

            • Not a newt@piefed.caEnglish
              2·
              7 hours ago

              In CoMaps (mobile), I can select the magnifying glass and then go to Categories.

              Omfg I’m a dumbass, I never noticed the categories tab in CoMaps!

              • TheTechnician27@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                5 hours ago

                Dude, I forgot OsmAnd had an iOS version until like a couple hours ago. We’re all dumbasses on this blessed day.

      • yestalgia@lemmy.world
        3·
        8 hours ago

        CoMaps is a great app for iOS and Android. Cleaner interface than OsmAnd. FOSS and uses open street maps.

      • cobysev@lemmy.worldEnglish
        181·
        12 hours ago

        Use CoMaps. It’s a privacy-first app that pulls their map data from OpenStreetMaps. If something is inaccurate on the map, you can edit it on OSM and it’ll populate to most map services. I’ve made changes and seen it pop up on Google Maps too.

        I downloaded CoMaps from F-Droid (https://f-droid.org/), just to avoid the Google Play Store. Slowly de-Googling my life…

        I don’t know if there is an iOS version. Apple is the OG evil company, long before Google got rid of their “Don’t Be Evil” motto, so I avoid their products. Now I’m trying to get off Android stuff too, but there aren’t many alternatives right now.

        EDIT: Someone else linked a website for CoMaps and it does have an iOS app. Also an Apple and Linux desktop program. No Windows though.

    • Victor@lemmy.world
      6·
      13 hours ago

      I just checked and OSM had the lake listed as Lake Ontario, so that app is good to go as well.

      Tested CoMaps and Mapy but they don’t seem to have names of lakes and other bodies of water?

      • HumanOnEarth@lemmy.ca
        9·
        13 hours ago

        I was about to pivot to CoMaps but then saw this mapquest thing taking off…

        One way or another, Google is out. GrapheneOS is in this week.

        • FirstCircle@lemmy.mlEnglish
          5·
          13 hours ago

          GrapheneOS is in this week

          I really, really want to get there, just need to get with the program and find a good, late-model Pixel on the used market.

          • blargh513@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            9 hours ago

            You need nothing special. Was running on a 7 until I broke it, now on 8a. Zero issues. I buy mine used on eBay. They are all the same candy bar anymore. Does .2150 extra sq inches of screen really matter?

            I used to buy the top shelf phones. Went to pixel a-types and gave never felt like I am missing anything.