I always have our appliance plugged in, because when it is freshly started, you always have to press the button on the front to confirm the setting. If you can memorise the setting (press 2 or 3 times), it's no problem.
You can switch on "auto power on" in the app. The device then starts as soon as it is supplied with power via USB. It then automatically connects to my smartphone.
I'm not sure what you mean. Does the device power on automatically when you plug it in? - No you have to press the leftmost button on the front panel for a second or 2. Does it select DAC automatically? No, you need to manually select it using on of 3 mode settings on the front panel. I know the manual is not great but I would recommend re-rereading it.