Snapping at people

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One of my close friends who is also on the spectrum has a tendency to snap at people, especially their friends. (I worry that I've made a topic about this before but my memory sucks sigh). Most of the time it's not serious or nasty. It's just that in just about any conversation I have to worry about being not-quite-snapped at. I'm not sure how to describe it. They take a short-lived negative, condescending tone when they become irritated that comes and goes usually very quickly. Each instance of this is so minor that it doesn't really feel right to call them out for every tiny snip but over time it builds up to the point that me and some of their other friends consider being around them to be an exercise in anxiety (granted, we have anxiety disorders and are on the spectrum too, but it goes beyond the default anxiety that goes with regular interaction).
I'm just having trouble figuring out how to get my friend to stop doing this. It never feels like a good time to bring up the subject because each individual instance of this is so small that it doesn't feel worth the confrontation.

You might find the following tutorial helpful, if you're not already familiar with the techniques described therein: How To Be Assertive Without Being Aggressive (podcast & transcript).

Another thing: I tend to snap at people when my concentration is broken abruptly -- and I tend to be concentrating on something most of the time. I suspect this is common among autistic people.

If that's what the problem is, I would suggest that you see what happens if you try to be more gentle and gradual about getting your friend's attention. For example, say just your friend's name at first, then pause and wait for your friend to respond before you say anything else. If your friend is like me, this will cut down on the snapping. If so, you might advise his other friends to do likewise.