If you're a big fan of Paranoid Android's Chat Heads-inspired Halo feature, I've got some unfortunate news for you. Yesterday a known member of the Paranoid Android development team, "PirateGhost," posted a reply to an XDA thread waiting on Halo in a new PA beta build.

You are going to be waiting a loooooooooooong time. Halo is dead.

The story was picked up by the folks at the Android subreddit, where reactions ranged from dismissive to inconsolable. Luckily, another member of the Paranoid Android team, "SferaDev," stepped in to shed a little light on the situation. The developer stated that the shifting UI standards introduced in KitKat have led the team to reconsider its approach to the unique software additions in PA.

Ok Guys! Before the riots start about Halo's death, let's analyze a bit the situation. Some months ago, back to 2.99 versions some of you never realized the way you enjoyed Android would change with Halo. Yes it was revolutionary! Now in KitKat days, Android's concept has improved the way we face to certain situations (like immersive). That evolution in AOSP moved the team to reinvent us in a manner some thought it was impossible. I only beg one thing, please wait to what's to come. If you loved Halo you will love whatever will come to your phones. And if you don't there will be 10+ kangs with old Halo. By the way, remember that most of the team used Halo daily and really understood its benefits! StayParanoid

Abandoning some of the more dramatic customizations that the custom ROM is known for seems like a natural move for Paranoid - the team was one of the first of the "big" ROM teams to post AOSP builds of KitKat, and ever since they've been keeping a very clean site with consistent and reliable build updates. That said, SferaDev's statement leaves room for some new stuff. Considering their previous work, I'd be very surprised if they didn't have something interesting waiting in the wings.

There's still hope for die-hard Halo fans: the feature has been open-sourced for use in other ROMs.

Source: XDA-Developers via Reddit