MapQuest has surged to the top of US app-store rankings after its refusal to adopt a controversial map change attracted renewed attention, prompting the long-established navigation service to accelerate work on Android Auto support.
The mapping app was ranked eighth among free iPhone apps on the US App Store on 30 August, while it reached fifth place on the Google Play Store. MapQuest said the positions were the highest in its 30-year history and that usage had risen to roughly 50 times its usual level.
The sudden increase followed MapQuest’s decision not to update its mapping of Lake Ontario in line with a recent US executive order. Google Maps and, more recently, Apple Maps have made the change, while MapQuest has continued to use the existing name.
The dispute, which has been described in terms of a rejection of “Lake America”, helped revive public interest in a service many users may have assumed had disappeared. MapQuest has acknowledged that the attention surrounding its position was the main reason for the jump in downloads and usage.
MapQuest prepares Android Auto support
To retain the influx of users, the company is now rapidly developing compatibility with Android Auto. The app already works with Apple CarPlay, but support for Google’s in-car platform would make it available to a wider range of drivers.
Android Auto began allowing third-party navigation services several years ago, giving drivers alternatives to Google Maps and other established sat-nav apps. MapQuest has not yet provided a date for the Android Auto rollout.
The service offers turn-by-turn directions and live traffic information, although it does not yet match the breadth of features offered by larger rivals, including live public-transport information.
MapQuest has operated for three decades, but its more recent revival began in 2024 with a private mobile mapping app promoted as an alternative to “Big Tech”. That service was later closed, before a full MapQuest app was launched earlier this year.
The brand is now owned by advertising company System1, which has sought to maintain its presence in the crowded digital-navigation market as the latest controversy sends a long-dormant name back up the app charts.
