When I used the latest version of the launcher that was released with 25.07.2, it downloaded and installed Python in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnkiProgramFiles\python directory, even though I already had the same version of Python installed in %APPDATA%\uv\python.
What’s even more amusing is that Anki is still using the version of Python installed in %APPDATA%\uv\python, not the one installed in the new directory (as reported by the Task Manager).
The launcher was changed a few days ago to store all downloaded data inside AnkiProgramFiles, including Python. Existing venvs with the same Python version might not get updated by uv, but if you remove the .venv folder or reinstall, you should find it points to the version inside AnkiProgramFiles after that.
I understand how this makes sense when Anki installation triggers the installation of Python (as most Anki users won’t be using uv for other purposes). However, if the user already has Python installed in the common directory, I think that it is better to use their existing Python install.
The uv bundled with Anki is intended for only installing/updating Anki, and places all files in one folder. While I appreciate a small percentage of users may have system-installed uv and its own cache, trying to accomodate them adds an extra level of complexity that I’m afraid is hard to justify.