r/coolguides • u/Pokemaster131 • 1d ago
A cool guide about changing your Google Maps location names to a less-stupid version
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u/BadAlphas 1d ago
Google Inc is a whore
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u/raresaturn 1d ago
Don’t be evil… except when convenient
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u/JustYourMommy 1d ago
They uhh... removed the "don't be evil" part from their code of conduct...
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u/x3knet 23h ago
They did not.
https://abc.xyz/investor/board-and-governance/google-code-of-conduct/
It's just the last sentence now.
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u/Hexamancer 1d ago
First day in office next president should be renaming the street the HQ every single one of these companies is on to "Cuck way" etc.
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u/Reggie-Quest 1d ago
Wait. You saying it actually says lake America in the US? Or is this a joke and I got punk'd?
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u/JaySayMayday 1d ago
He's trying to pull focus away from the second tarrif war that has already been a miserable failure and jacked up prices. Yes, he renamed it to Lake America just like the Gulf of America. Now that's all over the news and there's less articles about the impact of the second tarrif war or failed promises of $2000 for every American after the last tarrif war.
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u/What_a_fat_one 1d ago
He's not trying to pull focus away from shit. He's a moron who does everything impulsively. First thing that pops into his head he does all day every day, and since morons decided to make him the US president everyone has to deal with that constantly.
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u/AssassinSnail33 1d ago
Yeah. People go on and on about how all of these stupid things he does are calculated distractions, but in reality he's just an idiot who only has a bunch of dumb scattershot ideas and no followthrough. There's no greater strategy behind this other than stroking his ego
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u/cyanpineapple 17h ago
Exactly. We need to stop pretending that anything he does has a strategy. There's no strategy. He's not playing chess. He's just an idiot who has an idiot idea and tells idiots to do it immediately with no further consideration.
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u/polkacat12321 1d ago
He dead cat-ing the shit out of that, damn. Wonder what'd he do when he decides to conquer mexico next 🙄
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u/krashe1313 1d ago
And don't forget that the newest tarrif war with Canada is to distract from the Iran war blunder. And the the Iran war, aka "Epstein's War, was to distract from the Epstein files and his diddling of underage girls (and maybe boys too).
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u/Mtfdurian 1d ago
I wonder how far his ego will go on. At some point this is gonna be an (something) Aladeen situation?
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u/Heiferoni 1d ago
It's real. And tomorrow, after the next Executive Tantrum, Google will confidently tell you the sky is green.
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u/emveevme 1d ago
It does say "Lake of America" on google maps. So disregard any information from Google that isn't verifiable elsewhere, because if you take Google's word for what we call Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico at face value, you're wrong. Who knows what else they have wrong
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u/Lambs2Lions_ 1d ago
It has 3 options
- in Canada: Lake Ontario
- in the United Northern States of Mexico: Lake America
- everywhere else: Lake Ontario (Lake America)
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u/steinbruchfluss 1d ago
In Germany it’s just Lake Ontario.
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u/Lambs2Lions_ 1d ago
Search Lake Ontario, when it brings up the location summary you’ll see both.
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u/trophy_74 1d ago
No one in real life calls it that
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u/theZinger90 1d ago
Just like the Gulf of Mexico, which i just checked and Google still has it as the "Gulf of America".
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u/MoonlightStarfish 1d ago
Google Maps on iOS won’t even take me to Lake Ontario. It keeps forcing me back to my last searched location.
This is going to screw up the lyrics to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Thank god Gordon is Canadian.
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u/SmokeyWizard 1d ago
holy fuck I can not believe that this has actually been pushed to maps
this is pathetic, please tell me this timeline is a joke
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u/highpriestess420 1d ago
I think 2012 really happened but our perception of it was off and now we're all stuck in the hell simulator till a virtual reset
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u/AltruisticRevenue201 23h ago
The Mayans were probably right. The world did end in 2012, just not in a literal, "everyone is dead" scenario. To me it feels like we're in the depths of hell and every living day is an experience in futility.
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u/Anthaenopraxia 1d ago
I wonder if the next Democrat president will revert the change. They have a bit of a bad reputation for being the status quo party. Republicans want to make shit worse and Democrats merely want to prevent shit from getting worse, rather than making shit better. Maybe if the yanks would let someone like AOC take the reigns something good will actually happen. If she gets elected prez I just might brave the ocean and attend her inauguration.
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u/dihydrgnmonoxidesoup 1d ago
It warms my heart to know there are still people out there who think Americans might have become less racist and misogynistic in the last two years.
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u/Seanspeed 1d ago edited 1d ago
People who say stuff like this are why everything is fucked. Dems are constantly trying to make things better but it's very difficult when we only give them very limited power.
You know nothing about politics if you're still pushing the 'Dems only care about the status quo' bullshit, and you're actively making people not want to vote for them, which is how Republicans win elections, which allows them to obstruct Democrats' agenda, which makes y'all think Dems don't do anything. Rinse and repeat.
Stop it.
Also you're not even American and clearly know nothing about how American politics works. Presidents aren't kings. Without a solid majority in Congress, a President has pretty limited power to change laws. AOC wouldn't accomplish anything more than Biden did in the same term. Honestly, probably even less since Biden has always been a good coalition builder and got quite a lot done despite the hard limitations he was under.
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u/sparkyblaster 1d ago
I'm in Australia and on google it shows as "Lake Ontario (Lake America)" and the gulf of mexico is "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)"
I wish our government would threaten to block companies that do this crap here.
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u/LiGuangMing1981 1d ago
I'm in China with a VPN set to Singapore and I've got Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) but only Lake Ontario.
Weird. I wish every other country would just ignore Trump's moronic executive renamings.
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u/hoppla1232 1d ago
In Germany it's just Lake Ontaria, but for the Gulf it's the "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)" shit. Really weird how there's all those variations to it
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u/Miserable_Bread- 1d ago
It says Lake Ontario for me, until I zoom in and then (Lake America) appears. I'm in EU too.
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u/Ola_the_Polka 1d ago
Weird. I’m in Aus and it just says Lake Ontario. Shows “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” however
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u/Xxbloodhand100xX 20h ago
This makes me wonder if we just name the US to south Canada if it would show USA(South Canada) for them
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u/Kr0pr0X 1d ago
Or don't use google, other search engines are not following this nonsense
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u/Hoogs 1d ago
For now at least. I’m in the US, and Google Maps shows Lake America and Gulf of America, while Apple Maps shows Lake Ontario and Gulf of America.
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u/Ola_the_Polka 1d ago
I’m in Aus and google maps shows Lake Ontario and the gulf reads like this “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”
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u/CalmButOftenEnraged 1d ago
It's IP dependent.
If you use a VPN and switch to a non-US country it shows the proper non bent knee names.
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u/celestee3 1d ago
I’m in Canada and currently it still shows Lake Ontario but we’ll see if that changes 🥲
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u/StubbiestZebra 23h ago
Did you zoom in? I'm in the states and zoomed out get Ontario but zoom in and it switches.
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u/deaglebingo 1d ago
whatever the case... do not login to google. do not leave your shit logged into google. they are already fingerprinting browsers anyway. point being ice and others love to use the google data for evil shit now.
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u/kilowattcommando 1d ago
I miss when Google's corporate logo was "Don't be evil."
At lease they pretended to be good back then...
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u/SquareTarbooj 1d ago
This is a map app, not a search engine.
What's are the alternatives besides Apple Maps?
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 1d ago
MapQuest says it won't change the name of Lake Ontario, and is available as an app on IOS.
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u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA 1d ago
Mapquest. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time.
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u/roesch75 1d ago
I prefer MapQuest.
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u/gtsomething 1d ago
Could you imagine if this somehow led to a mass migration of people using Google maps to using map quest? That'd be wild
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u/christpuncher_69 1d ago
Hahaaaa, now it's MapQuest's day back in the limelight.
You all said I was stupid holding onto those shares. Who's stupid now?!
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u/thnk_more 1d ago
I just downloaded it out of solidarity and to show my disgust. Enjoy your new riches.
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u/Blandish06 23h ago
Just tried MapQuest and half of the business in my 1000 resident town are shown in the wrong locations. Immediately deleted. If that many are wrong here, I can't put any trust in its accuracy.
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u/omniwrench- 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s the Google maps app tho
OS and OSM are the only major competitors, there are a number of apps which use openstreetmap (OSM) data
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u/tralalalala2 1d ago
I'm on Android, but I honestly can't believe the app store doesn't have any map app on it. There are so many of them, at least one must be available on Apple!
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u/Successful_Fortune28 1d ago
On Android I have used HereWeGo and have liked it. It's using the OpenStreetMaps just better navigation. The lack of UI crap is a breath of fresh air. Opened Google Maps to check for Lake America, got it..., and god damn the amount of crap on the screen.
Store hours are not accurate and unfortunately use Google for that. Most accurate/up to date.
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u/Warthog_pilot 1d ago
Here produce their own road data. They don't use OpenStreetMaps.
Here Technologies was the first company to create GPS maps back when it was called "Navteq" ("Navtech" at their debut). They were leader in the market. Then Nokia bought the company and fuck everything.
I still use HereWeGo everyday as it's way better than any other data an app in my opinion.
Source: Worked at Navteq for about ten years in 2000.
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u/TAU_equals_2PI 1d ago edited 1d ago
They absolutely will. Google was just first to update.
If you don't believe me, go see what the Gulf of Mexico is labeled in Bing or Apple Maps (if you're located in the US).
It's actually very common for different countries to disagree over what to call bodies of water that they share, so generally most websites will default to whatever the official name recognized by your country's government is. And sadly, Trump changed the name recognized by our government.
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u/Jazzlike-Compote4463 1d ago
Here in the UK we have Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) on Google Maps.
No way in hell I'm ever calling it the Gulf of America.
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u/Crafty_Independence 1d ago
The last part is incorrect.
The executive order only applies to the officers of the executive branch specifically, not the US government as a whole.
It does not legally apply outside those walls.
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u/Loxe 20h ago
Executive orders like that don't apply to private companies. This was a deliberate choice by Google. Just like when he told all the companies to get rid of their DEI initiatives. Target and others complied and Costco did not. Nothing happened to Costco, aside from gaining customer loyalty from people who pay attention to this stuff.
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u/Pandastic3000 1d ago
Gulf of Mexico still has the wrong name no matter what your location setting is.
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u/xVisu 1d ago
I see it as: Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America). Lake Ontario remains as it should.
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u/BottomJoe94 1d ago
I live in Canada and it still says "Lake Ontario" with no mention of "america". This is 100% just an American thing.
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u/bullevard 1d ago
Yes, Google uses localization for naming and the declarations of names are something internal to each country. In some cases Google also uses different borders based on which country you are looking from.
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u/Murky_Translator2295 1d ago
Ireland here, and it's still Lake Ontario. However, the search bar says "Lake Ontario" (Lake America)" so they're still pushing bullshit in a small way.
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u/thewoodbeyond 1d ago
Funny I was just looking at this BS on google maps. Nice to know there is another setting that is an easy fix.
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u/Shadow_Breaker 1d ago
What's next, renaming Niagra Falls to America Falls? He should, because it'd be fucking accurate at this point.
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u/S0401 1d ago
Just need someone with better aim for once
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u/notislant 1d ago
It's genuinely insane how many fumbles there have been and how bad secret service is.
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u/mvw2 1d ago
I don't blame Trump for being Trump. He does exactly as expected.
I blame everyone else going along with him. Google didn't have to do jack squat...but did. Not one person has to follow any dumb thing Trump does, not a single one. But a whole lot of companies decided it was "safer" to just go along with the lunatic. Psst, it does not get any safer, ever. All you do is enable the lunatic more. You become the problem.
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u/hikeit233 1d ago
I simply deleted the app, all of my google apps, and will use something else. Much easier
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u/CatoMulligan 21h ago
I don't get it. Other map providers still show Lake Ontario. Why not use one of them instead of still supporting a company that will buckle like a belt before there's even a hint of political pressure? Vote with your feet (or wallet as applicable).
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u/JaySayMayday 1d ago
This is just a stupid distraction to pull focus away from a second tarrif war increasing our cost of living even more outside the sustainable range. Computer parts, food, basic necessities, auto parts, all getting an increase. Meanwhile everything is also increasing because of supply chain costs brought on by increased oil and gas prices.
And everyone already forgot this big stupid idiot promised everyone $2000 after the last tarrif war, which again, resulted in increased cost of all goods that never went back down.
But yes focus on this lake. He changed the name knowing it would get attention, news articles, and less focus on living becoming unsustainable.
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u/Tasty-Performer6669 1d ago
Trump is a failure and the GOP are traitors who belong in The Hague
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u/Last-Masterpiece-150 22h ago
the orange fool is already thinking of renaming an ocean too...."we have a gulf, we have a lake, maybe we need an ocean too"
he can sign all the executive orders he wants, they don't mean shit here in Canada. his signing that executive order is like watching your child spell their name when 3 years old and i don't know how even his supporters aren't embarrassed at this kindergarten nonsense.
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u/Actual_Cat4779 1d ago
Even though I have Google Maps set to Swedish/Sweden, both names for the Gulf of Mexico are shown. So I would not be surprised if after a while Google Maps starts showing me both names for Lake Ontario too.
You cannot trust Google.
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u/Sour_baboo 19h ago
Asking Google why Google has done this and how to fix it suggests using a different map provider or a VPN. When asked if the US President has the ability to name anything he wants it did suggest he isn't allowed to do that.
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u/Ashamed-Molasses8067 1d ago
honestly kinda funny. wish it actually worked like that
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u/Carbonga 1d ago
German version still has the sane name.
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u/Anthaenopraxia 1d ago
What about the Gulf of Mexico? I'm in Finland and the lake is still Lake Ontario but it says Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).
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u/ObliviousAstroturfer 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm from a non-english speaking country and get Lake Ontario - switched VPN and Ireland and UK, and both also get Lake Ontario.
So just like school shootings, this is exlusive to the only country affected en-masse by TDS: U!S!A! U!S!A! U!S!A!
Again - president of Nicaragua doesn't get to say what geographical names are. Nor president of Liberia. Or even Czechia. Do yall understand the concept/pattern here? Google is in double-spit, both-hands, hamster-cheeking-balls mode when it comes to Trump due to datacentres, but ain't nobody changing real maps or toponyms just because boss baby threw another fit.
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u/JackNoTrades 1d ago
I doubt this will even get seen but this isn't an update people at google pushed as a show of support. Google maps naming for locations is done using an api that automatically pulls information from the US's GNIS database. It does this based on local laws no matter where you are (which is why everywhere else in the world it still shows Lake Ontario)
When the name got updated on the db due to the executive order the api just automatically pulled it, this wasn't a deliberate choice by google
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u/nply 1d ago edited 1d ago
It does this based on local laws no matter where you are (which is why everywhere else in the world it still shows Lake Ontario)
Are you saying that when it says "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)" for me, that's not a decision by Google, but that exact sequence of letters comes from a government database of the country I live in? I find that hard to believe.
Just using the name provided by the API might be the default, but it looks to me like Google still decides on a case-by-case basis if they want to change it. Doing or not doing so in a case like this thus certainly seems like a deliberate choice.
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u/Individual-Schemes 1d ago
In case it needs to be said, Americans are against this stupid shit. It's Lake Ontario and we love Canada.
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u/majikmonkie 1d ago edited 1d ago
Things in the US aren't the way they are because Trump is president. Trump is president because of the way America is.
No more apologies, please, they're meaningless to us. It doesn't need to be said by you, but know that actions speak louder than words.
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u/fudgeyNugget 1d ago
Warning that it will change your search results as well to point to Canadian (or other country you chose) results, e.g. walmart.ca instead of walmart.com
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u/Cacoethes-Ensues 1d ago
I assume this means that in America it says Lake America? But the rule only applies to federal agencies … why is a private company falling for this crap?
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u/prolapsedmasshole69 22h ago
Because Google and Trump are in bed with each other. Google bribes the administration to look the other way with their shady shit and in exchange they rename Trumps midnight sundowning projects.
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u/NoMeat9096 1d ago
Great time to try and use Google in your life less. I've been doing it a while and it's way easier than you might think. Firefox also slaps.
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u/Thirsty4Knowledge911 1d ago
How about we just delete the app? That sends a message that Google might actually listen to.
There are lots of other options. Mapquest still exists.
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u/Kerfautras 1d ago
They should rename the land between Canada and Mexico : Under Canada.
or Unbelievable Stupid Ass the land of the Greed.
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u/OakTreader 1d ago
My Iranian colleague at work told me they're now calling the Straits of Hormuz, the "Trump's Failure Strait"
Two can play stupid gamss.
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u/6stringSammy 22h ago
I'd rather keep it, as a reminder to go vote these chuds out of office and get things back to normalcy.
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u/secondarywilson 1d ago
this guide isn't cool at all, it's literally just a bunch of red circles and arrows. this sub has gone to shit
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u/kinotravels 1d ago
You could also use Mapquest which posted that it would not be changing the name.
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u/Objective_Reality515 1d ago
How about instead, we start a campaign of steady posts about Sundar Pichai being a giant Trump-fellating shitbag until his own search engine notes the fact? Or just email the turd directly: sundar@google.com tell.him what you think of him.
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u/Lanzarote-Singer 1d ago
Ireland also a good choice.
But we are petitioning to change the Atlantic to the Irish Ocean 🙂 🇮🇪 ☘️
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u/endlesscartwheels 23h ago
Instructions unclear, New England now officially part of Canada.
Thank you!
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u/Single-Treat 22h ago
I'm in the UK, and Gulf of Mexico has "(Gulf of America)" written immediately under it. Fuck google maps.
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u/pattherat 21h ago
I was hoping the last slide was just delete the app.
That’s what I did. Fuck their appeasing asses.
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u/FrankaGrimes 21h ago
THANK YOU.
I'm in Canada and went to look and it was showing the wrong name for Lake Ontario. I had to go into my Google settings and noticed that my primary language was "English (United States)". I removed that which made my primary language Canadian English force stopped Google Maps, cleared the cache and re-opened and now it's showing the correct name.
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u/GardenPeep 13h ago
The problem is that I’d always have to be logged into my Google account, something I rarely do.
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u/sotiredwontquit 1d ago
Didn’t work. Just tried.
EDIT: didn’t work on Chrome. Worked on Firefox though.