And I mean not being used in the sense of at all. Standby time refers to the amount of time a phone can remain powered on while not being used. What does the standby time of the battery refer to in a smartphone? The stand-by time is highly dependent on the cellular network environment, such as the distance to the closest GSM cell tower. Stand-by time is the officially quoted longest time that a single battery charge will last when the phone is constantly connected to the GSM network but is not in active use. Stand-by time (battery life) - definition. Frequently Asked Questions What does stand by time mean on a cell phone?