Apple and Google in Process of Adopting ‘Gulf of America’ Name for Maps Apps
Toggle Dark Mode
Apple is making changes to its Apple Maps app, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Searching for the “Gulf of Mexico” in the Maps app currently still shows “Gulf of Mexico” on the map itself, although “Gulf of America” shows in the information section for the area.
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is rolling out the change to Maps in the United States today, so the name change should appear for most US users very soon. Apple will change the name for all users around the globe in the future.
Google also carried through on its promise to adopt the new name this week, and “Gulf of America” now appears in both Google Maps and the Google-owned Waze traffic app.
In the announcement, Google explained what users would see:
The names you see in the Maps app are based on your country location, which is determined by information from your phone’s operating system (e.g., iOS and Android), including your SIM, network, and locale. If you’re using Google Maps on the web, the names are based on the region you select in your Search settings or your device’s location, if you haven’t selected one.
Both Apple and Google use map data from the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) when naming locations around the world, and the GNIS updated its database this week with the “Gulf of America” name change.
While Google Maps users in the United States will see “Gulf of America,” users in Mexico will continue to see “Gulf of Mexico” in the app. Meanwhile, the rest of the world will continue to see the body of water between Florida and Mexico as the “Gulf of Mexico,” with “Gulf of America” shown in parentheses below. Apple may do the same thing for users outside of the United States.
Microsoft’s Bing Maps and MapQuest have yet to rename the gulf, according to checks of their maps offerings earlier on Tuesday. This could change at any time, however.
One of US President Donald Trump’s first executive orders after taking office on January 20 was to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Other countries still refer to the area as the Gulf of Mexico and are not required to accept the US moniker.
President Trump has also announced that the Alaskan mountain named “Denali” will be renamed “Mt. McKinley,” but neither Apple Maps nor Google Maps have changed the mountain’s name.
The reaction to the new naming depends on who you ask. Republican lawmakers praised Google’s move to make the changes according to Trump’s order, chastising Apple for not immediately making the change.
Meanwhile, users on the other side of the aisle have criticized Google for its decision, saying that the search giant is bowing to the new Republican administration.
As you might imagine, Mexico is also critical of the decision, saying the US can’t simply decide to rename a body of water that touches both countries.
