DNS request will go to the DNS server but from what I can tell the packet wont go anywhere else. At least on my own network, traceroute gives only one entry and its the final destination. I assume this is because the router knows its own public IP and as such knows the packet doesnt need to be sent anywhere else.

Obviously this is subjective, but I use android auto all the time and something similar for a linux phone would be really nice for me. Don’t dismiss them just cause you wouldn’t use them