When you start a game with 4 players, and on the very first turn, someone takes three minutes, and even engages in a manual battle – it’s, to put it mildly, annoying for people who have things to do in life besides the game.

Well, firstly, the first turn should be the longest: to survey the surroundings, think through a strategy, and even activate the skill wheel in the starting five. As far as I remember, the autobattle on the first turn didn't give me the best results, so a manual battle made sense. Later, with the appearance of more or less decent armies and spells, the autobattle only results in single-digit losses, and it can be used safely.
Secondly, is three minutes a long time for you? That's strange; I thought anything less than four minutes was a good time...