MapQuest is rolling out an experimental version of its navigation app for Android Auto, letting drivers view its maps on car dashboard screens instead of Google Maps or Waze. The move follows a surge in downloads after the company declined to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' following a Trump administration directive. MapQuest also confirmed CarPlay support is coming soon for iOS users, and the app is testing crowdsourced reporting of accidents and police activity.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-05
Google has introduced WeatherNext 3, its newest AI-driven weather forecasting model, which will feed into Search, Gemini and Maps. Unlike its predecessor, which updated every six hours at a 25km resolution, the new model can refresh hourly and pinpoint conditions down to 5km by incorporating live satellite data instead of older simulation outputs.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-03
Google DeepMind and Google Research launched WeatherNext 3, a deep-learning forecasting model that outperformed rival AI systems from Microsoft, Nvidia and ECMWF, as well as traditional forecasts from the US National Weather Service and ECMWF, on the Operational WeatherBench benchmark. Google says the model will soon power weather data shown in Search, Maps and Gemini, and will also be offered to researchers and developers through its cloud platform.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-03
MapQuest climbed from No. 8 to the top spot on the U.S. App Store this week after declining to comply with an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as 'Lake America,' a change Google Maps and Apple Maps both adopted. Sensor Tower estimates 632,000 U.S. downloads since the order, while MapQuest claims over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada combined.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-02
A teardown of Android Auto beta version 17.6.663424 reveals Google testing a new color palette for Google Maps, with a darker map background and a dark-gray turn indicator replacing the current light background and teal accent. The change also appears in dark mode, where the map surface would become even darker and the turn indicator would drop its teal tint for gray.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-02
Apple has updated Apple Maps to display Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following Google's earlier change to its maps. The renaming stems from an executive order President Trump signed after US-Canada trade talks collapsed, with Canadian users still seeing 'Lake Ontario' and the rest of the world seeing both names. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump personally contacted Apple to push through the naming change.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-02
Apple has begun labeling Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' on Apple Maps for users in the United States, following a Trump executive order that already led Google to make a similar change. The lake retains its original name in Canada and shows both names elsewhere, with the rollout still inconsistent between Apple's desktop and mobile versions.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-01
Apple has updated Apple Maps to display Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users located in the United States, following an executive order Trump signed on August 27. Canadian users will still see 'Lake Ontario,' while people outside both countries will see both names listed. Google made the same change last week, citing its policy of following official U.S. government naming databases.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-01
President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as 'Lake America,' prompting the Seneca Nation's president to argue the move breaches a treaty dating back 232 years. The dispute has spilled onto social media, where users are also criticizing mapping services like Google Maps for potentially adopting the new name.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-01
Google Street View publicly displays detailed exterior shots of homes, including house numbers, parked cars, and yard layouts, accessible to anyone who searches an address. Google has long allowed users to request blurring of this imagery, but the feature is hidden deep within Google Maps and rarely used because most people don't know it exists.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-01
Google is rolling out three new travel tools inside AI Mode in Search: a built-in airfare tracker that lets users set price-change alerts, a hotel search-and-compare tool that supports direct booking through partners like Booking.com, Marriott, Hilton and Expedia, and a feature to help travelers understand the value of points and miles. The rollout begins in the US in English, with global expansion planned.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-31
MapQuest declined to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' despite a Trump executive order pushing the change, while Google Maps updated its listing to comply. The decision triggered a surge in downloads, pushing MapQuest to No. 4 overall on the U.S. App Store and No. 1 among navigation apps, with usage spiking 50 times above normal.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-08-31
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