Pop star Rihanna urged fans on Thursday to delete Snapchat after the social media app ran an ad making fun of her 2009 beating at the hands of then boyfriend Chris Brown.

Shares of Snap Inc, the company that makes the app, were down 4.7 per cent in trading on Thursday.

"SNAPCHAT I know you know you ain't my fav app out there! But I'm just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess!," the singer wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

"You spent money to animate something that would intentionally bring shame to DV victims and made a joke of it!!!," she added, referring to domestic violence. "Shame on you. Throw the whole app-oligy away."